Australians urge Thailand to free Bahraini refugee

Published : Feb 1, 2019, 4:50 PM IST

Updated : Feb 1, 2019, 6:19 PM IST

Melbourne: Scores of demonstrators rallied in Sydney and Melbourne on Friday to demand that Thailand release a detained Bahraini football player who has refugee status in Australia.

Australians urge Thailand to free Bahraini refugee

Australians urge to free Bahraini refugee

The demonstrations outside the Sydney Opera House and in Melbourne's Federation Square opposed Hakeem al-Araibi's potential extradition to Bahrain.

Australians urge to free Bahraini refugee

Al-Araibi says he fled political repression in Bahrain. He had been sentenced there in absentia in 2014 to 10 years in prison for vandalising a police station, a charge he denies.

Al-Araibi used to play for the Bahraini national team and now plays for a semi-professional club in Australia, having been given permanent residency and living in Melbourne.

The 25-year old was detained upon his arrival in Bangkok in November and a court ruled in December he could be held for 60 days.

Also Read: Scores of drivers trapped by snow on Cornwall road

Thailand expects to decide within days whether to proceed with extradition to Bahrain.

The rallies also focused on Thailand and Indonesia's proposed joint bid for Association of Southeast Asian Nations to host the World Cup in 2034 and further called on FIFA to consider suspending Bahrain from future competitions.

The demonstrations outside the Sydney Opera House and in Melbourne's Federation Square opposed Hakeem al-Araibi's potential extradition to Bahrain.

Australians urge to free Bahraini refugee

Al-Araibi says he fled political repression in Bahrain. He had been sentenced there in absentia in 2014 to 10 years in prison for vandalising a police station, a charge he denies.

Al-Araibi used to play for the Bahraini national team and now plays for a semi-professional club in Australia, having been given permanent residency and living in Melbourne.

The 25-year old was detained upon his arrival in Bangkok in November and a court ruled in December he could be held for 60 days.

Also Read: Scores of drivers trapped by snow on Cornwall road

Thailand expects to decide within days whether to proceed with extradition to Bahrain.

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Beijing, China - Jan 31, 2019 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Qatar-China Business Forum in progress
2. Sign reading (Chinese/English) "Qatar-China Business Forum"
3. Screen showing national flags of China (L), Qatar (R)
4. Various of guest giving speech
5. Various of attendees
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Abdulla AlMisnad, deputy CEO, Qatar Free Zones Authority (partially overlaid with shots 7-8):
"The first is related to logistics and especially advanced logistic solutions. The second area is related to specialty chemicals and downstream chemicals, and the third area is related to emerging technology. In all three of these areas, we are looking forward to explore more with different Chinese companies."
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
7. Various of AlMisnad giving speech
8. Various of screen showing AlMinsnad's presentation slides
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
9. Various of signing ceremony for Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs)
10. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yun Liang, vice president, China Harbour Engineering Company (partially overlaid with shot 11):
"We've already had several infrastructure projects in Qatar, including a new port in Doha. We are considering building a clean energy bus assembly factory in its free zone and possibly expanding to neighboring countries in the region."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
11. Various of attendees at forum
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
12. Various of Yun, other attendees listening to speech
13. Forum in process
The Qatar-China Business Forum brought together more than 400 businessmen from both countries to discuss future goals and cooperation opportunities, in China's capital Beijing, on Thursday.
Business collaboration between Beijing and Doha has rapidly expanded, as nearly 200 Chinese companies are now operating in the country. Since late 2018, the gulf nation has also built "free zones," areas that allow global companies to establish themselves with 100 percent foreign ownership.
"The first is related to logistics and especially advanced logistic solutions. The second area is related to specialty chemicals and downstream chemicals, and the third area is related to emerging technology. In all three of these areas, we are looking forward to explore more with different Chinese companies," said Abdulla AlMisnad, deputy CEO of the Qatar Free Zones Authority, explaining cooperation opportunities between China and Qatar.
Rich with energy reserves, Qatar is one of the world's fastest growing economies. It's also one of China's biggest trading partners, offering China various opportunities with its infrastructure projects.
Among the Memorandums of Understanding signed during Thursday's business forum, one highlight was Qatar's potential partnership with China Harbour Engineering Company(CHEC), a renowned international contractor.
"We've already had several infrastructure projects in Qatar, including a new port in Doha. We are considering building a clean energy bus assembly factory in its free zone and possibly expanding to neighboring countries in the region," said CHEC vice president Yun Liang.
Chinese businessmen also regard Qatar as a strategic partner in the Middle East and part of their plan for enhanced global presence, especially within the framework of China's Belt and Road Initiative.
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Thank you for using CCTV+ content.Please contact Ms. Haley HE at service@cctvplus.com or call +86 10 63960094 for any further enquiries about CCTV+ content.
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Last Updated : Feb 1, 2019, 6:19 PM IST

TAGGED:

Bahraini refugee in Australia

Sydney Opera House

Bahraini football player

Hakeem al-Araibi

Australians urge Thailand to free Bahraini refugee

Melbourne: Scores of demonstrators rallied in Sydney and Melbourne on Friday to demand that Thailand release a detained Bahraini football player who has refugee status in Australia.

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