Sakchai Makao
Encyclopedia
Sakchai Makao is a Thailand
native who moved in 1993 to the islands of Shetland in Scotland. Sakchai was 10 years old at the time. In 2004 Sakchai was involved in crime which led to him being charged and convicted of “wilful fire-raising”. In 2006, at the age of 23, Sakchai was detained under the UK Immigration Act during a dawn raid of his house by police and immigration officers in Lerwick
(Shetland). He was immediately transported to the Scottish mainland at a facility in Aberdeen to be held until a deportation hearing could be held.
Sakchai was an accomplished athlete, competing for Shetland, as well as Scotland at a national level. At the time of his detention he was working as a lifeguard at a local recreation facility.
In 2006, the Home Office
started a campaign to request the deportation
of immigrants with criminal records. When Sakchai was threatened with deportation in 2006, the people of Shetland came together to support him. The 'Shetland for Sakchai' campaign was started, with over 8000 people from numerous countries signing petitions to release him. Fundraising events were held to pay his legal costs, and there was much publicity and support in the local, national and international press. The Shetlink community website hosted a petition, information point and discussion forum during the campaign.
Eventually Sakchai was freed on bail on the 20th June 2006. A hearing on the 7th July 2006 saw Sakchai's appeal being upheld, and Sakchai was free to return to Shetland.
The 'Shetland For Sakchai' campaign won 'Public Campaign of the Year' at the Scottish Politician of the Year
awards http://www.shetlandtoday.co.uk/Shetlandtimes/content_details.asp?ContentID=20763 and the 'Willie Leitch Trophy' for 'Campaign of the Year' (presented by the Aberdeen Central Liberal Democrats)http://www.shetlandtoday.co.uk/Shetlandtimes/content_details.asp?ContentID=21852
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
native who moved in 1993 to the islands of Shetland in Scotland. Sakchai was 10 years old at the time. In 2004 Sakchai was involved in crime which led to him being charged and convicted of “wilful fire-raising”. In 2006, at the age of 23, Sakchai was detained under the UK Immigration Act during a dawn raid of his house by police and immigration officers in Lerwick
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
(Shetland). He was immediately transported to the Scottish mainland at a facility in Aberdeen to be held until a deportation hearing could be held.
Sakchai was an accomplished athlete, competing for Shetland, as well as Scotland at a national level. At the time of his detention he was working as a lifeguard at a local recreation facility.
In 2006, the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
started a campaign to request the deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
of immigrants with criminal records. When Sakchai was threatened with deportation in 2006, the people of Shetland came together to support him. The 'Shetland for Sakchai' campaign was started, with over 8000 people from numerous countries signing petitions to release him. Fundraising events were held to pay his legal costs, and there was much publicity and support in the local, national and international press. The Shetlink community website hosted a petition, information point and discussion forum during the campaign.
Eventually Sakchai was freed on bail on the 20th June 2006. A hearing on the 7th July 2006 saw Sakchai's appeal being upheld, and Sakchai was free to return to Shetland.
The 'Shetland For Sakchai' campaign won 'Public Campaign of the Year' at the Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year
Scottish Politician of the Year is an annual award established in 1999. It is held by The Herald newspaper in Prestonfield, Edinburgh, Scotland....
awards http://www.shetlandtoday.co.uk/Shetlandtimes/content_details.asp?ContentID=20763 and the 'Willie Leitch Trophy' for 'Campaign of the Year' (presented by the Aberdeen Central Liberal Democrats)http://www.shetlandtoday.co.uk/Shetlandtimes/content_details.asp?ContentID=21852
External links
- BBC News Website (2 August 2006) - Makao clears deportation hurdle
- The Independent (8 July 2006) - A campaign that united an entire island
- http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=9023
- Scottish National Party Press Release (12 June 2006) - SNP raise Shetland deportation in European Parliament
- www.shetlink.com - Deportation of Sakchai Makao - info & links
- www.shetlink.com - Deportation of Sakchai Makao - campaign discussion forum
- http://www.shetlopedia.com/Sakchai_Makao
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/5097284.stm
- http://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=888902006