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Thailand detains Hong Kong teen activist Joshua Wong

Bespectacled Joshua Wong, 19, was detained in Bangkok where he had been invited to speak at two universities about Hong Kong's "Umbrella Movement" street protests and on setting up his political party, Demosisto.

The student, Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, said that the Thai authorities told him that they had received a letter from the Chinese government asking that Mr Wong not be allowed into the country.

Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha confirmed the deportation was requested by China.

The government said it was aware of Mr. Wong's activity in "resistance movements against other foreign governments" and cited concern his activities in Thailand "could eventually affect Thailand's relations with other nations". He said he was not given a clear explanation for his detention and was not allowed to contact his family or a lawyer.

Wong was due to give a speech later Wednesday at Bangkok's prestigious Chulalongkorn University on the 40th anniversary of a Thai army crackdown on student protesters. It has also forced closer military and economic ties with China, drawing criticism from the USA, its longtime ally.

China's Foreign Ministry, when asked by Reuters news agency about Wong's detention, said it had "noticed the relevant reports".

"Thailand has previously forcibly returned Chinese national activists, asylum-seekers and others to China under apparent pressure from Chinese authorities, in violation of the principle of non-refoulement", it said.

Before he was detained, Mr. Wong was due to address students at an event to mark the 40th anniversary of a massacre of pro-democracy students by security forces on October 6, 1976. One of Hong Kong's five missing booksellers, Gui Minhai, who sold books containing salacious tales about Chinese Communist Party officials, went missing from his Pattaya home at the end of 2015.

It added that a request by Chotipatpaisal to visit Wong in custody had been declined.

"Now is the time when Thailand is moving towards democracy and if [he] says that we're not a democracy, then it's not the right time".

CU student activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, who was Wong's Thai host, said yesterday that Wong might still deliver his scheduled talk in Bangkok via Skype.

"China respects Thailand's [right to] exercise immigration control according to the law", an official at the embassy told The Nation.

Mr Wong, who a year ago was prevented from entering Malaysia, said he was relieved he did not end up like five Hong Kong booksellers who disappeared and later turned up in custody in mainland China.

In August, a magistrates' court in Hong Kong sentenced Wong to 80 hours of community service after he was convicted of taking part in a rally in front of the Central Government Offices in September 2014.

BANGKOK (AP) Thai authorities, reportedly acting on a request from Beijing, detained a Hong Kong teen pro-democracy activist on his arrival at Bangkok's airport in the latest sign of what rights groups said Wednesday is China pressuring neighbors as it tries to quash dissent.

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Thailand detains Hong Kong teen activist Joshua Wong