Feb. 27 (UPI) — China confirmed Thailand deported 40 Chinese nationals on Thursday, despite human rights organizations and members of the U.S. government called on Bangkok to not repatriate the Uyghur Muslims to a country where they are allegedly subjected to genocide.
In a statement, China’s Ministry of Public Security said the 40 Chinese nationals who had illegally entered Thailand were deported back to China in accordance with the laws of both countries.
“China’s Ministry of Public Security attached great importance to this deportation process,” it said.
China has been accused of arbitrarily imprisoning some 1 million Uyghurs in so-called re-education camps in northwestern Xinjiang since 2017 where they are subjected to forced labor, disappearance and sterilization as well as draconian restrictions on freedom of religion, expression and movement.
The deportation follows months of human rights organization calling on Thailand not to go through with it.
The 40 Uyghurs were among 48 who were arrested in Thailand in 2014 as part of a larger group of 350 people as they irregularly crossed the Thai border to seek protection.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in January that 23 of the 48 individuals suffer from serious health conditions and that five of them have died in the past 11 years.
Rayhan Asat, leading human rights lawyer of Uyghur origin, warned that Thailand has put those 40 Uyghurs in “grave danger.”
“This act makes Thailand complicit in egregious human rights violations, and it must be held accountable for its role in perpetuating what amounts to an act of genocide,” she said on X.
“I am at a loss for words.”
Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said after news broke that the Uyghurs had been departed that until Wednesday, Thai officials gave “multiple assurances” that the detainees would not be repatriated.
“The U.N. & concerned governments should now do everything in their power to demand the Chinese government provide access to the men by independent observes & U.N. officials, said on X.
Rushan Abbas, founder and executive direct of Campaign For Uyghurs, called the deportation by Thailand “a grave betrayal” that will “stain the conscience of the world forever.
“Shame on the Thai government!” she said on X. “By surrendering innocent Uyghurs to the hands of a genocidal regime, you have once again betrayed humanity and sold your conscience to the [Chinese Communist Party].”
She accused Thailand of acting under pressure of China. Thailand’s deportation will embolden Beijing’s alleged transnational repression that makes democratic countries complicit in its treatment of the Uyghurs, she added.
“Thailand must face a global condemnation from the world community,” she said.
On Wednesday, amid growing concern the deporation may be underway, the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations urge Thai leaders to engage with the United States on this issue.
“The United States has put practical options on the table to resolve this issue in a way that upholds our shared commitment to internationally recognized human rights,” Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Jeanne Shaheen, R-N.H., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb. and Chris Coons, D-Del., said in a joint statement.
“We urge Thai leaders to engage with the United States on those proposals, rather than take this ill-advised step.”
