Thailand said on Wednesday it did not plan to immediately repatriate a group of Uighurs who fled China more than 10 years ago. UN experts had warned that they may face torture upon their return.
The 48 Uighurs have been held in immigration centers since their arrest in 2013 and 2014, when they and rights groups crossed the Thai border to seek protection from serious human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region.
UN experts said 23 Uyghurs were suffering from serious health conditions. Human Rights Watch said last week that they were on hunger strike amid fears of their impending transfer – a charge denied by Thai authorities.
What have the officials said?
“The decision will be taken by the National Security Council. No order has come yet.” [to send them back]“A senior immigration department official, declining to be named, told the AFP news agency on Wednesday.
It follows comments last week from Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Vechayachai, who said there were no immediate plans to deport Uighurs to China.
National police chief Kitirat Panpech said on Monday that there had been no government order on his deportation.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that it “does not know the specific situation” regarding Uyghur detainees.
Rights group warns of early eviction
Human Rights Watch said last week that Thai immigration officials asked Uyghurs to complete new paperwork and took photographs of them, leading them to believe that their repatriation was imminent.
Other rights groups have also warned that the group faces deportation in the near future.
The UN experts, who were appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not speak on behalf of the UN, warned the Thai government that Uyghurs risked torture, ill-treatment and “irreparable harm” if they returned. Is.
The US has described China’s treatment of the mostly Muslim minority as “genocide”, while a UN report released in 2022 noted multiple instances of abuses, including torture and forced labor and arbitrary detention. It is what Beijing calls a vocational training center.
Beijing denies all allegations of abuses, saying its actions in Xinjiang are aimed at fighting extremism.
Thailand deported more than 100 Uighurs to China in July 2015, drawing international condemnation. His fate remains unknown.
tj/sms (AFP, Reuters)
