Zim Family Stranded In Bangkok Airport For Three Months, Refuses To Leave Citing "Civil Unrest"

A Zimbabwean family of eight is reported to have been staying at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport for nearly three months in a scenario reminiscent of the 2004 Tom Hanks movie “The Terminal”. Four adults and four children under the age of 11 are reported to be refusing to return to Zimbabwe citing fear of persecution and “civil unrest.” The family’s plight was highlighted by Kanaruj Artt Pornsopit, a worker at Suvarnabhumi airport in a Facebook post.

Immigration bureau spokesman Pol Col Cherngron Rimphadee told the BBC that the family initially arrived as tourists in May. They attempted to leave Bangkok for Barcelona, Spain in October. However, the family was denied boarding passes because they did not have the necessary Visas for Spain. The family was left in limbo when the authorities prevented them from re-entering Thailand as they had overstayed their initial tourist visas by five months.

The family refused to be sent back to Zimbabwe, saying they feared “persecution” after the fall of former president Robert Mugabe in November. Col Rimphahdee revealed that the family had applied to the UN for asylum. They are currently living in Suvarnabhumi airport where they are being fed by airport staff.