Zimbabwean family leave Bangkok airport after three months
The four children and four adults survived with help from staff in terminal
A Zimbabwean family of eight have finally left Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after being stranded there for three months in an administrative nightmare.
The family - four children aged between two and 11, and four adults - first arrived in Bangkok in May, the BBC reports. In October, they tried to board a flight for Barcelona via Kiev, says The Phuket News, but didn’t have the correct visas.
They were not allowed to leave the airport, however, because they had overstayed their Thai tourist visas, and refused to return to Zimbabwe, saying they feared persecution there.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The family’s situation came to light in December when an airport employee posted a photo of himself giving one of the children a Christmas gift. Their plight has drawn comparisons to 2004 film The Terminal, in which Tom Hanks plays a man stranded in a New York airport.
A Thai immigration bureau spokesperson identified Muvadi Rodrick as the head of the family, and said they had been cared for by Ukraine International Airlines, according to the Bangkok Post.
The spokesman told the BBC that the family left Bangkok for the Philippines on Monday. It was unclear whether the Philippines was their final destination.
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has indicated that he would welcome the return of the family of “refugees”, The Washington Post reported in December.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
A history of student protest at Columbia University
The Explainer Anti-Israel demonstrations at NYC's Ivy League university echo protests against Vietnam War and South African apartheid
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Trump is ruled in contempt'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Hainault sword attack: police hunt for motive
Speed Read Mental health is key line of inquiry, as detectives prepare to interview suspect
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
SUVs: the scourge of the streets?
Talking Point 'Hulking vehicles' are more dangerous and polluting than smaller cars but offer a sense of safety
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The 100-year-old railway Mexico hopes will rival the Panama Canal
Under the radar The route will run across Mexico's narrowest point, connecting the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Pros and cons of e-scooters
Pros and Cons Enthusiasts praise their convenience but sceptics say they are dangerous and environmentally damaging
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Rail strikes: is Britain on track for a ‘summer of discontent’?
Speed Read The ‘biggest rail strike in modern history’ is planned for next week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
China Eastern Airlines plane crash: how did disaster occur at 29,000 feet?
feature Piecing together a full picture of events ‘could take years’
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
‘See it. Say it. Sorted’: is it the end of the line for train announcements?
Speed Read The transport secretary has pledged a ‘bonfire of the banalities’ on England’s railways
By The Week Staff Published
-
Suez Canal blockage investigators shine spotlight on Ever Given crew
feature Billions of dollars at stake as experts try to explain who or what is to blame for the cargo ship’s grounding
By Joe Evans Last updated
-
New evidence points to final resting place of missing MH370
Speed Read Findings of ocean study fuels call for reopening of search for lost Malaysia Airlines jet
By Joe Evans Last updated