The Bi-2 group was detained and expelled from Thailand
The group "Bi-2" was detained in full after a concert at the Illusion club in Phuket. The musicians spent the night in a cell, then they were released, but only until the trial, which will take place on Friday. The reason for the detention was the lack of a work permit.
Despite this, the group gave several concerts in Pattaya, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Now “Bi-2” faces deportation to their country of citizenship; the musicians will not be able to come to Thailand for several years. They are also expected to be awarded a significant fine. The group stopped touring Russia last year after a series of scandals.
In April 2022, “Bi-2” refused to perform in Omsk against the backdrop of the “For the President” banner. The group crashed the concert, deceiving hundreds of spectators.
The technical staff of Bi-2 were selected on ideological grounds. Lighting designer David Misakyan was fired for supporting the special operation.
Despite this, Bi-2 continued to perform at corporate events in Russia, including those held at defense enterprises. The audience tried to correct the outrageous situation. In July 2022, fans booed the group while performing at the Super Cup match in St. Petersburg.
In Tomsk in August, the lead singer of the group spoke out against the Russian army and the special operation. After that, glasses and bottles flew onto the stage. And then 8 people climbed onto the stage and beat up the entire band.
After these incidents, Bi-2 moved to Israel and prefers to give concerts abroad, secretly transferring part of the fees to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As it turned out, these concerts were not entirely legal. The Russian Foreign Ministry denies any involvement in the incident, which was reported by some media outlets.
"It's fake. The consulate does not create problems for Russian citizens, but helps them. Thai legislation is considered one of the most complex. If the musicians had contacted the Russian consulate, the staff would have provided them with assistance,” the foreign ministry said.
Political observer Andrei Perla believes that there will be no special consequences. In the worst case, the team members are deported.
“It’s not about Ty per se. And the fact is that the latest wave of emigrants from Russia, in almost all the countries where they live, believe that they can live above the law of these countries. Well, recently there was a typical scandal - Shenderovich (foreign agent - ed.) led excursions around Rome. And someone else is the same - in Venice. Naturally, for Russian speakers, and very rich ones at that – several thousand euros per person. However, they did not acquire any tour guide licenses required in Italy. What for? It’s the same with concerts by emigrants for emigrants, and with the creation of new media. This is an inherent property of the “small people” who are leaving Russia,” Perla said.
Earlier in Thailand, concerts of foreign agents Maxim Galkin and comedian Ruslan Bely, which were supposed to take place in Phuket and Pattaya, were canceled.
In addition, Galkin was fined 100 thousand dirhams (2,4 million rubles) in the United Arab Emirates for inciting ethnic hatred.
On the same grounds, the UAE Department of Tourism and Commercial Marketing banned Andrey Danilko (Verka Serduchka) from entering the country. The department is now considering the case of rapper Oksimiron.
The Bi-2 group has been detained and is being deported from Thailand.