DavieG Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 This morning in an early morning Grampian(we think) police raid, 23 year old Sakchai Makao of Haldane Burgess Crescent was taken into custody and transferred from Shetland to and Aberdeen as "an illegal immigrant with a criminal record" for subsequent deportation to Thailand within five days. He will be transferred tomorrow from Glasgow to a detention centre in London to await deportation to Thailand this weekend. He has no family in that country and does not speak the language. Furthermore if he is deported he faces the immediate possiblity of being conscripted into the army in Thailand. Sakchai has lived in Shetland for thirteen years, having moved here with his family at that time. His father died here in 2001 and his mother and sister now live in London. He has worked for most of that time in the Clickimin Centre swimming pool and is well liked throughout the whole community. Sakchai has a Thai Passport and, according to his family, has a visa which allows him to stay indefinatley in this country. He served a short prison sentence in 2004 for "arson", a label and sentence that many of us still feel was totally unjust. I understand that he was in the process of applying for a UK passport and it may be that this has brought him to the attention of the Home Office. This is being done as part of this Labour Government's 'round-up' of undesirable illegal aliens. I leave you to form your own opinion of them - I know I now firmly have mine, but its not for printing here. We are in the process of appointing him a lawyer qualified in immigration matters, our MP and MSP are firmly on the case and we have already attracted, and hopefully will continue to attract, widespread local and national media attention to his case. He also has the full support of his employers Shetland Recreational Trust. Brian - is is possible to set up some kind of on-line petition to support Sakchai so that we can let everyone know how appauled and upset we are by this process and to let him and his family know that his friends in Shetland are firmly behind him. We have set up one on Yahoo at nodeportationfromshetland@yahoo.co.uk Please sign on and show your support if you can. Sakchai is Shetland through and through (he even represented us at the Island Games last year) and I / we simply refuse to sit back and allow this to happen. This Labour government (who I long supported but no longer that's for sure) cannnot be allowed to return us to the days of McCarthy in 50's America and Sakchai does not deserve to be treated in this way. Much of what has happened today is against basic human rights if nothing else. I am hopefully going to be back in touch with him later and will keep you posted re any developments(currently they wont even allow him to have his phone on, and have not as yet allowed him to contact his family, or done so on his behalf) Cheers for any help any of you can offer. David Gardner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Sakchai is as British and as much as a Shetlander as anyone of us. Hang on in there Satch. We are going to fight this mate. Can't wait to get you home where you belong. We will do everything we possibly can until then mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njugle Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 There's a specialist petition site if that's any help. I wonder if any of our more knowledgable net users can verify the credibility of a site like this prior to using it, or doing something similar? http://www.thepetitionsite.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDG Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 we are all here for you sakchai! The place would not be the same without you. Your as Shetland as any of us. Hope your holding out ok, and you come HOME soon. Your mate Mikey G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmy Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 I've known Sakchai for a long while now and i've never considered him to be any different to anyother shetlander or brit i've ever met, and i don't see why where hes from or what hes been accused of in the past should change that. It's unfair and un'british' i believe for him to be removed on the grounds that he has. We want u back Sakchai.......back where u belong!!! with love emmy xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 satch your such a good friend to everyone who knows you and shetland would not be the same with out you its not right that their doing this too you you've been here most your live and this is where you belong good luck and come home soon we all miss you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppet Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 I dont know Sakchai, but I know of him. This really does smack of a ploy by the Home Office to notch up a few statistics as quickly and easily as they can to try to salvage what credibility they can from a monumental botch up. It's shocking to discover the British Government behaves like this. Keep us posted on any developments davie, and let us know if theres anything we can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivet Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Sakchai is going to be best man at our wedding in September and we won't be getting married without him.We're leading the English side of the campaign to keep him in Shetland from down here in OxfordWe think its disgusting the way Sakchai has been treated and we won't rest until he's back in Shetland where he belongs Andrew and Kirsty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottsy Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Sakchai has been a mate of mine now for a good while, and he has been as much shetland as anyone living here. he has been here for over thirteen years, over half his life, and well if he aint shetland then neither am i. im a whalsa boy and their is many a person in shetland that you could consider an alien, but sakchai isnt one. i wish u all da best sakchai i hope to c dee heem soon. Good luck and see u soon. pottsy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXlisahainingXx Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Sakchai is such a great guy he definatly does not deserve this!! i hav known him for as long as i can remember an he is a true shetlander he has lived here for over half his life and shud b aloud to live the rest of it here!! he has done nothing wrong to deserve this!! i love u satch an u WILL b home soon we will make sure of that!! i cant imadgine u not bein here it wud b horrible!! lots of love lisa xxxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDG Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Thanks for the support guys. Spread the word to as many as you can. Sakchai deserves it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Just a little message of support for Sakchai. For someone who fits into the community so well and contributes to it as anyone else does I think this is totally wrong and look forward to seeing him back here again. I've worked with and known Sakch for about 8 years now and he is a good mate. All the best buddy, and look forward to these numpties in charge seeing sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Thanks guys its so encouraging to see posts coming in so soon and quickly. Just reflects how liked Sakchai is. He belongs in Shetland. We need to get him home as quickly as possible, Thailand is nothing but a strrange country to him now where he knows no one. It is as muppet said just a quick and easy way to notch up statistics for the home office. We'll keep fighting Satch. Can't imagine work or Shetland without you man. Speak Soon! Richie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 This is absolute ridiculous. Sakchai has lived in Shetland for 13years now...he is no less a 'Shetlander' than anyone else living on the island presently! He does not deserve any of this and we all want to see him back on the Island as soon as. I was extremely shocked when I received the email, and if any of us can do anything at all, WE WILL!!!! GET SAKCHAI BACK WHERE HE BELONGS!!!! Love you Sakchai, Claire Wilson xxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecootsie Posted June 6, 2006 Report Share Posted June 6, 2006 Oh my god i cudna believe it wen i herd its absolutely crazy!! This is his home NOT thailand. We hav to stop them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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