Thailand deports dozens of Uyghurs to China

Thailand deported dozens of Uyghurs to China on Thursday despite warnings from human rights groups that they would face persecution on their return, drawing swift condemnation from the United Nations. Beijing is accused of committing human rights abuses in its northwestern Xinjiang region, including the incarceration of around one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. It denies the allegations. Rights groups had warned in recent weeks that Bangkok was preparing to deport a group of 48 Uyghurs being held in immigration centres around Thailand. They said the Uyghurs fled China more than a decade ago and lived in constant fear of being sent back. Thai national police chief Kitrat Phanphet confirmed the deportations on Thursday, saying Beijing had requested the return of 40 Uyghurs. “The Chinese government wrote to the Thai government expressing sincerity and their intention to take care of Uyghurs, promising in the letter that they will be looked after, and guaranteed their accommodation and their safety,” Kitrat told reporters, adding that the handover went smoothly and the Uyghurs did not resist. Thailand forcibly deported 109 Uyghurs to China in 2015, drawing a stern rebuke from Washington and the UN, but had repeatedly denied the existence of plans for a new round of deportations. International condemnation was swift Thursday. “There is a complete prohibition in cases where there is a real risk of torture, ill-treatment, or other irreparable harm upon their return,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed Thailand, an ally. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms Thailand's forced return of at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where they lack due process rights and where Uyghurs have faced persecution, forced labor and torture,” Rubio said in a statement. Germany's foreign ministry warned the deportees face “serious human rights violations” on return. It called on China “to respect and protect the rights of those deported and their families” and on the Thai government to “monitor the living conditions of those deported in China and to work towards their protection.” In London, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said “The UK disagrees in the strongest terms with Thailand’s decision.” ‘Concrete measure of cooperation’ China's public security ministry said 40 Chinese “illegal migrants” had been deported from Thailand in accordance with international law. Asked whether the group included Uyghur detainees, Beijing's foreign ministry said only that they had “Chinese nationality”. “The repatriations... were a concrete measure of cooperation between (China and Thailand) in combating cross-border crimes,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular news briefing. “The legitimate rights and interests of the persons concerned were fully protected,” Lin said. He declined to give further details. Chinese public security officials said in a statement the deportees “were lured by criminal organisations into illegally leaving the country and remaining in Thailand”. “They and their families have suffered great harm, and their relatives have repeatedly requested that the Chinese government provide assistance so that they can return to the embrace of the motherland,” the unidentified officials said. Beijing and Bangkok are working closely to return thousands of Chinese workers from online scam compounds, with Thailand acting as a bridgehead for returns. Most of those compounds are based in Myanmar, with few if any workers staying in Thailand for prolonged periods. ‘High risk of torture’ The group of 48 Uyghurs, arrested in 2013 and 2014, were being held in immigration centres across Thailand. Thai authorities had allegedly held the group in de facto detention for more than a decade with no access to lawyers or family members. Rights groups and Uyghurs overseas allege that China has detained more than a million Muslims, mostly Uyghurs, in a network of facilities in Xinjiang that are rife with violence, torture, forced labour, political indoctrination and other abuses. The UN has said Beijing's actions may constitute “crimes against humanity” and the United States has branded them a “genocide”. China says its policies in Xinjiang have eradicated extremism and boosted development, and that the facilities were voluntarily attended training centres that closed years ago after attendees “graduated”. On Thursday, China’s foreign ministry accused “some political forces” of spreading lies about Xinjiang. Rights groups slammed the deportation, with Human Rights Watch calling it “a blatant violation of Thailand’s obligations under domestic and international laws”. “The men now face a high risk of torture, enforced disappearance, and long-term imprisonment in China,” its Asia director Elaine Pearson said. The Thai government acknowledged the concerns but insisted it acted in accordance with international law. Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told a news conference on Thursday that the handover had been “carefully considered”, and that the Thai government is “confident that this group of Uyghurs will not face the problem everyone is concerned about.”

Thailand deports dozens of Uyghurs to China

Chinese and Thai officials defended the decision in the face of condemnation from rights groups and foreign governments, who allege that Chinese authorities have subjected the Uyghur minority to persecution, torture, and human rights violations

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