Thailand Receives Bahrain Request for Detained Footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi

Local Editor

Thailand officially received a request from Bahrain to extradite detained football player Hakeem al-Araibi who has refugee status in Australia.

Bahrain's request for the extradition of al-Araibi was received Monday and forwarded to prosecutors for deliberation, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Busadee Santipitaks said Tuesday.

Relatively, the Bahraini national team player said he fled his home country due to political repression. Bahrain wants him returned to serve a prison sentence for a charge he denies.

Araibi was detained upon his arrival in Bangkok in November while on a holiday, and a court ruled in December he could be held for 60 days pending the completion of an extradition request by Bahrain.

The attorney general is expected to decide his case within a week, said Chatchom Akapin, director general for the attorney general's international affairs department.

Chatchom said Thailand would not extradite al-Araibi "if the sought extradition is political." He said "if it is, then the request must be denied."

Meanwhile, human rights groups, football governing bodies and activists have made an international push for Thailand to release al-Araibi, 25, who plays for the semiprofessional football club Pascoe Vale FC in Melbourne.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team