63 Chinese religious refugees detained

Police and immigration officers inspect a resort in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri where they found 63 Chinese nationals, members of a self-exiled Christian church, who had overstayed their visas. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)

CHON BURI: Sixty-three Chinese nationals detained in Pattaya for overstaying their visas are members of a self-exiled Christian congregation seeking United Nations protection from religious persecution, their supporters say.

Two Americans who have been trying to help the group relocate to the United States have also been detained, the Wall Street Journal reported.