Thailand’s secret deportation of Uyghurs to China a win for Beijing, snub to US
The secret deportation by Thailand of dozens of Uyghurs to China that has sparked international condemnation is a diplomatic win for Beijing and a snub to the United States and the United Nations, who had long warned that the men would face torture and imprisonment if they were returned home.
The 40 men had fled China in 2014, arriving in Thailand where they were arrested and later spent more than a decade in detention and in legal limbo.
In the early hours of Thursday they were reportedly taken in trucks to an airport in Bangkok and put on a plane, with Thai officials later confirming they had deported “40 ethnic Uyghur Chinese nationals” following an official request from Beijing.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spearheaded legislation advocating for the protection of the rights of Uyghur people while he was a senator, and told his Senate confirmation hearing ahead of being sworn in as secretary of state that he would lobby Bangkok against deporting the Uyghur men.
Rubio condemned the move “in the strongest possible terms,” adding that Uyghurs in China “have faced persecution, forced labor, and torture” while lacking due process rights.
China’s repression of Uyghurs and other predominately Muslim ethnic minorities in its far western region of Xinjiang has been labeled “genocide” by the US and other countries, with widespread and credible reports of arbitrary detention, mass surveillance, forced labor and restrictions on movement – allegations China vehemently denies.
“We urge all governments in countries where Uyghurs seek protection not to forcibly return ethnic Uyghurs to China,” Rubio said.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said the deportations violated legislation Thailand had signed up to prohibiting the return of people to places where they may face torture or ill-treatment.
He said his office had repeatedly urged Thai authorities to “respect their obligations under international law in relation to these individuals in need of international protection.”
“It is deeply regrettable that they have been forcibly returned,” he said.
In response, China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday blasted “some countries and international organizations” for “fabricating lies about Xinjiang and politicizing the issue.” Genocide and forced labor are the “lie of the century,” a spokesperson for the ministry told a regular news briefing in Beijing.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua on Thursday said that 40 Chinese nationals who had illegally entered Thailand were deported and repatriated to China, without mentioning their ethnicity.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra didn’t confirm any deportations.
But on Friday she admitted she had been aware all along but could not comment publicly, citing protocol and national security concerns.
She added that she had discussed the deportations with Chinese officials during a visit to China in early February, and that the officials had guaranteed the safety of the Uyghurs once they had arrived in China.
Thailand is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not recognize the concept of asylum. The Southeast Asian kingdom has a history of pushing refugees back across its borders and of deporting dissidents.
In 2015, Thailand deported over 100 Uyghurs to China, sparking international outcry. The fate and whereabouts of those returned are unknown, UN experts said last year.
CNN
