BANGKOK — Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was refused entry into Thailand this week after the country caved into pressure from China. <br /> <br />Wong was detained at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday night after Thai officials received a request from the Chinese. <br /> <br />Wong was scheduled to give a talk on political activism at Chulalongkorn University, according to the Independent. <br /> <br />China’s Foreign Ministry said in a short statement it was aware of the reports and respected Thailand’s immigration control, although it didn’t say if China had requested Wong be detained. <br /> <br />After arriving back in Hong Kong on Wednesday afternoon, Wong described how he was forced to spend 12 hours inside a cell at the airport, the Guardian reported. <br /> <br />“For almost 12 hours I was detained alone inside a cell,” Wong told the press. “When I asked what the reason for them detaining me … they just said: ‘We will not give you any explanation. You have been blacklisted already.’” <br /> <br />The soon to be 20-year-old landed back into Hong Kong around 3:40 p.m. on Wednesday. <br /> <br />Deputy commander of the Suvarnabhumi immigration office Pruthipong Prayoonsiri told Thailand’s the Nation newspaper that China had sent a request for the activist’s entry to be denied. <br /> <br />“As a result, the immigration bureau blacklisted him and held him for deportation. When officer informed him, Joshua Wong did not oppose it,” Prayoonsiri said.
