Photo credit: www.bbc.com
Thai officials have confirmed the deportation of at least 40 Uyghurs back to China, despite significant concerns raised by human rights organizations regarding the threats of torture and potential death they may face upon return.
The group is believed to have been transported to Xinjiang, China, on Thursday after spending a decade in a detention facility in Bangkok.
International accusations against China include allegations of crimes against humanity and genocide aimed at the Uyghur population and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in Xinjiang. The Chinese government has consistently refuted these charges.
This deportation marks Thailand’s first action against Uyghur individuals since 2015.
The circumstances surrounding the deportation have been mostly opaque, eliciting serious concerns from both the United States and the United Nations.
Reports from Thai media detailed that several trucks, some obscured from view with black plastic coverings, departed from Bangkok’s main immigration detention center during the early hours of Thursday.
Shortly thereafter, an unscheduled flight from China Southern Airlines was tracked leaving the Thai capital, ultimately arriving in Xinjiang. The exact number of individuals deported remains unclear.
The Thai Minister of Defense reassured the media that assurances from Beijing indicated the deportees would be treated humanely.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government characterized the deportees as illegal migrants without confirming their Uyghur identity, referring to them as individuals who had been misled by criminal syndicates.
Amidst these developments, Thailand’s Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, did not initially acknowledge the deportations when questioned, but emphasized that all actions should adhere to legal principles and respect for human rights.
This group is reportedly the last remnant of over 300 Uyghurs who were detained at the Thai border in 2014 after fleeing persecution in Xinjiang.
Some of these individuals previously sought refuge in Turkey, a country known for offering asylum to Uyghurs, while others faced deportation back to China in 2015, provoking a wave of backlash from global governments and advocacy groups.
Security concerns have been raised by opposition lawmakers within Thailand, spotlighting the lengthy detention of these individuals without formal charges. Concerns abound regarding their treatment in custody, with reports indicating the facility was overcrowded and unsanitary, leading to five Uyghurs losing their lives while incarcerated.
In a statement issued Thursday, Human Rights Watch cautioned that the deportees are at significant risk of torture and prolonged detention. Elaine Pearson, the organization’s Asia director, stated that Thailand’s decision to transfer the Uyghurs to China constitutes a serious breach of both domestic and international legal obligations.
There had been assurances made by senior Thai officials that these detainees would not be sent back to China, including statements directed toward allies and UN representatives.
Phil Robertson, director for Asia at the Human Rights and Labour Advocates group, criticized the deportations as indicative of an unbroken trend of cooperation between Thailand’s current government and authoritarian regimes in the region.
Amnesty International condemned the actions as “incredibly cruel.”
Additionally, bipartisan members of the U.S. House China Committee expressed their concerns in a statement, emphasizing that the deportations violate international human rights standards that Thailand is expected to observe.
The UN expressed its significant regret over the deportations, further complicating Thailand’s standing on the international stage concerning human rights practices.
In Xinjiang, an estimated 12 million Uyghurs predominantly follow Islam. They speak a language closely related to Turkish and align culturally and ethnically with Central Asian nations, representing less than half of the region’s population.
A notable recent trend involves the influx of Han Chinese, the ethnic majority in China, into Xinjiang, a move perceived as an attempt by the government to diminish the influence of the Uyghur minority.
Allegations against China include targeted assaults on Muslim religious figures, restrictions on religious practices, and the destruction of mosques and tombs, further exacerbating international scrutiny of its policies in Xinjiang.
Source
www.bbc.com