- Home » Expat News » Happy ending for deported Thai widow and daughter
Happy ending for deported Thai widow and daughter
| Published: | 25 Nov at 6 PM |
Want to get involved?
Become a Featured Expat and take our interview.
Become a Local Expert and contribute articles.
Get in touch today!
Become a Local Expert and contribute articles.
Get in touch today!
Tagged: Immigration, Thailand
The Thai widow of a deceased Danish man who was deported with her daughter after his death will now be able to return due to a changed law created jointly by the country’s political parties.
Suthida and Im Nielsen were deported back to Thailand by the Danish Immigration Services on the pretext that they had more ties there than in Denmark. The child and her mother had arrived with Danish husband and stepfather Johnny Nielsen and had settled in for four years.
When the news of the imminent deportation broke following Mr Neilsen’s death, a press frenzy sparked the country to their defence. Pictures of the pair waiting at the airport were circulated, a tearful Im told reporters she had to leave her school and her friends because her dad had died and friends from their town gathered to see them off.
The fracas alerted public condemnation as well as several members of parliament, who immediately championed the pair’s case. As a result, Justice Minister Morten Bedskov made a deal with Denmark’s political parties to change the law, allowing them to return as soon as they can.
In future all foreigners living in Denmark via family reunification will be allowed to stay in the country should their partners die, in the same manner as are foreign victims of domestic abuse who leave their partners as a result. The change in the law now applies retroactively for two full years, but many working in social services are angry, saying that the entire system is broken and should be fixed.
Suthida and Im Nielsen were deported back to Thailand by the Danish Immigration Services on the pretext that they had more ties there than in Denmark. The child and her mother had arrived with Danish husband and stepfather Johnny Nielsen and had settled in for four years.
When the news of the imminent deportation broke following Mr Neilsen’s death, a press frenzy sparked the country to their defence. Pictures of the pair waiting at the airport were circulated, a tearful Im told reporters she had to leave her school and her friends because her dad had died and friends from their town gathered to see them off.
The fracas alerted public condemnation as well as several members of parliament, who immediately championed the pair’s case. As a result, Justice Minister Morten Bedskov made a deal with Denmark’s political parties to change the law, allowing them to return as soon as they can.
In future all foreigners living in Denmark via family reunification will be allowed to stay in the country should their partners die, in the same manner as are foreign victims of domestic abuse who leave their partners as a result. The change in the law now applies retroactively for two full years, but many working in social services are angry, saying that the entire system is broken and should be fixed.
Comments » No published comments just yet for this article...
Feel free to have your say on this item. Go on... be the first!
