Thai Court to rule on detention of Chinese journalist on 9 October

The South Bangkok Criminal Court will rule on 9 October whether Bai Zhaodong, a Chinese journalist and UN-recognised refugee held in immigration detention, is being unlawfully detained. 

A hearing took place on 18 September at the South Bangkok Criminal Court after Bai’s lawyers filed a petition requesting his release due to unlawful detention.

According to the Immigration Act, the authorities can detain a person for as long as necessary pending departure to another country. Bai’s lawyers have argued that the Immigration Bureau may no longer have a reason to detain Bai since a third country has already approved his resettlement. 

Bai was brought to court for the hearing. He testified that he was detained 6 times by the Chinese authorities. During each detention, he was placed on a chair with his hands tied behind his back and interrogated for 24 hours straight while officers beat him. He would then be released without being formally charged. He said that he came to Thailand in mid-2024 after being advised to do so by a friend.

Nadthasiri Bergman, Bai’s lawyer, said that Bai has tried to apply for a visa extension, but his application was refused and he was told that he has an arrest warrant on a charge of extortion issued by the Public Security Bureau of Yulin City. Bai subsequently filed an application with the UNHCR to be recognised as a refugee and received refugee status.

Bai previously said that the extortion charge was fabricated so that the Chinese authorities would have an excuse to bring him back to China. 

Bai said that during his stay in Thailand, strangers often came asking around for him. This made him feel unsafe and he had to move around often. In 2025, he was detained by immigration officers in Chiang Mai. He also said that he does not know what would happen to him if he is deported to China.

Pol Lt Col Anan Insai from the Immigration Bureau‘s Investigation Division said that the Chinese authorities first requested Bai‘s extradition in 2024.

He said that Bai was originally staying in Thailand on a visa which was valid until 31 October 2024. On 28 October 2024, the Foreign Affairs Division of the Royal Thai Police received a letter from the Chinese Embassy stating that Bai was wanted in China. The Immigration Bureau revoked his visa on 11 December 2024.

On 30 May 2025, Bai was arrested in Chiang Mai for staying in Thailand without a visa. He was sentenced to 2 months in prison and fined 2000 baht. His sentence was suspended for 2 years.

Pol Lt Col Anan said that on 3 June 2025, the Chinese Embassy send an informal letter to the Foreign Affairs Division requesting Bai’s extradition.

Meanwhile, Bai was granted bail from immigration detention. He was subsequently approved for resettlement. With his flight scheduled for 5 February 2026, Bai reported to the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre and was detained there while waiting for the Thai authorities to grant his exit permit.

On 16 September, the Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Bai on charges of extortion, triggering the extradition process.

Bai‘s lawyer asked Pol Lt Col Anan why the Immigration Bureau did not allow Bai to leave for resettlement. Pol Lt Col Anan said he was not sure because he is only responsible for detention, but he speculated that Bai was not allowed to leave because the Immigration Bureau had to check with the Office of the Attorney General, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the police if there is an extradition request for Bai.

The Office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Foreign Affairs Division on 4 August 2026 that Bai is in the process of being extradited.

Bai’s lawyer requested that the Court question Immigration Bureau representatives on when the Bureau receive a formal extradition request for Bai and whether there is documentation to confirm it. However, Pol Lt Col Anan did not bring the document to court.

Nadthasiri told reporters after the hearing that Bai’s legal team will have to protest his extradition. She explained that when an extradition request is filed, the Thai authorities will check whether it was filed according to the legal procedure and if it was, the individual will be extradited.

Nadthasiri said that the arrest warrant will be presented to Bai, who will be taken to the Criminal Court to be formally charged. He will then be detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison pending extradition.

She alleged that the Chinese authorities tried to pressure Bai into returning to China voluntarily. A few days before the hearing, she learned that Chinese officials visited Bai‘s family and asked his child to try to convince Bai to return to China. The Criminal Court also issued an arrest warrant for Bai on 16 September, only 2 days before the hearing. For her, this shows that China will try everything to bring him back.

When asked if there is a possibility of halting Bai‘s extradition, Nadthasiri said that the chances are slim but Bai‘s legal representation will try their best. She noted that the human rights situation in Thailand is not good since it seems like the government is friendly with China. 

“It is clear in this case that there has been pressure from China since the beginning. It may not be directed at me, but they use the legal process and every means they have to put Bai Zhadong in the most difficult position so that he would agree to go back to China,” Nadthasiri said.

Bai is a former investigative journalist for Caijing magazine. His work exposed large-scale corruption and a money laundering network involving local government officials and high-ranking officials in the Chinese Communist Party. 

Between 2011 and 2022, at least five charges were brought against him by various public departments across the country due to his reporting on fraud and corruption, including a charge of inciting subversion of state power. In September 2024, the Public Security Bureau of Yulin City issued an arrest warrant for Bai on trumped-up charges of extortion.

Bai fled China in 2023 and arrived in Thailand in 2024. In January 2026, he was placed in a detention facility pending relocation to a third country, but Thai authorities have barred him from leaving Thailand on scheduled flights twice in February and June.