A medical student had a rough and long ordeal after when was left stranded at Bangkok airport for nearly two weeks because his name appeared on a no-fly list.
Rehan Motiwala of Southern California was finally granted permission to leave Thailand on Friday. He was greeted with hugs from his family when he finally touched down at Los Angeles International Airpor, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Motiwala, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen from Pomona, was trying to get from Indonesia to Los Angeles when the airline staff in Bangkok refused to give him a boarding pass for his connecting flight. He was told by U.S. and Thai authorities that he couldn't travel but he wasn't given a reason. He assumed that he was placed on the U.S. government's no-fly list.
Motiwala, who is of Pakistani descent, slept at the airport for four nights before a Justice Department official arrived from the U.S. to speak with him. Motiwala refused to answer any questions until he had a lawyer. As a result, he was kept under the custody of Thai authorities at a detention center for 10 days.
"They treat you like an animal," Motiwala, who was born in Anaheim, told the Los Angeles Times.
The U.S. implemented a 2010 policy to bring American citizens and permanent residents back to the country if they are stranded overseas, despite what their flying status is, but this case shows that the policy is not being carried out.
"The onus is really on the government to facilitate the return of this person," Fatima Dadabhoy, an attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Los Angeles, told the Times. "Whether or not they're on the no-fly list, they can still come home."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is handling the case for Motiwala and at least two other people from the area who have been stranded abroad.
State and Justice Department officials in Washington would not comment on the case or Motiwala's status.
Motiwala's lawyers still believe he is on the no-fly list and cannot travel. He hasn't decided if he's going to sue the government.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
