A group of 40 Uyghur men detained in Thailand for more than a decade were deported to China in the early hours of 27 February. Local sources, including Thai Member of Parliament Romadon Panjor, reported witnessing two sets of vehicles with covered windows transporting detainees from the International Detention Centre (IDC) in Suan Phlu, Bangkok.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra did not confirm any deportations, and Thailand’s national police commissioner Kitrat Phanphet refused to comment on the reports, citing security reasons.
AP News reported that the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has confirmed that ‘40 Chinese illegal immigrants’ had been repatriated but they did not state their ethnicity, although a photo of those repatriated published by CCTV appeared to show people of Uyghur ethnicity.
The Ministry of Public Security of China confirmed on the same day that 40 Chinese smugglers were repatriated from Thailand, but they did not confirm the ethnicity of the group. They claimed that the repatriation was carried out in accordance with the laws of China and Thailand, international law and international practice, and is a concrete measure for the two sides to cooperate in cracking down on cross-border illegal and criminal activities.
The 40 men were among a group of approximately 300 Uyghurs who were detained by Thai authorities on 13 March 2014 after crossing the border to Thailand in an attempt to escape persecution in China. Many were subsequently sent to Turkey, however 109 of the group were deported to China in July 2015; their fate and whereabouts remain unknown. A CSW source reports that five Uyghurs are currently being held in Klong Prem Central Prison and three remain in the IDC in Bangkok.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW condemns the deportation of these 40 Uyghur men from Thailand to China, where they will surely be arbitrarily detained and likely experience torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In doing this Thailand has become party to another act of transnational repression and violated the international principle of non-refoulement. We call on the government of Thailand to ensure that no further Uyghurs are deported to China, and urge the international community to do far more to hold China to account for its widespread, well-documented and egregious violation of the human rights of millions of Uyghurs and members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups.’