WASHINGTON—Thailand’s deportation of dozens of Uyghurs to China has stirred alarm in Washington, with the State Department and lawmakers raising concerns that the Uyghurs face possible persecution and torture.
The State Department on the same day condemned Thailand’s decision.
“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,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
“China, under the direction and control of the Chinese Communist Party, has committed genocide and crimes against humanity targeting predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other members of ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.”
Rubio said the United States called on the Chinese authorities to “provide full access to verify the well-being of the returned Uyghurs on a regular basis.”
“The Thai Government must insist and fully verify continuously that Chinese authorities protect the Uyghurs’ human rights,” he said.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Thursday said the deportation is “a clear violation of international human rights laws and standards.”
“My office has urged, repeatedly, the Thai authorities to respect their obligations under international law in relation to these individuals in need of international protection,” he said. “It is deeply regrettable that they have been forcibly returned.”
He urged Chinese authorities to disclose their whereabouts.
After Wednesday midnight, trucks with windows covered left Bangkok’s immigration center to the airport. The Chinese Embassy said the Uyghur men were sent to Xinjiang on a chartered flight.
In a letter in January, written in Uyghur language, the detained Uyghurs appealed to the international community for help.
“If we are sent back to China, we will not only face imprisonment but also risk implicating our families and friends, who could also be jailed.” They said that 43 of them jailed at Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Center were asked to sign a consent on Jan. 8 for their “voluntary repatriation to China,” and after they refused, the detention center authorities took photos of each of them.
Thai officials had given conflicting signals on the matter, saying one month earlier that they didn’t plan to deport the Uyghurs.
Thailand’s deputy prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai confirmed the deportation on Feb. 27 and said it had been done in accordance with international standards.
The Chinese foreign ministry said the repatriation was meant to combat “human smuggling.”
Julie Millsap, an activist with No Business With Genocide, said the regime was trying to justify its actions.
“As these Uyghur men have themselves indicated a desire to be resettled in safety, these lies from the Chinese regime are unsurprising yet despicable and must be met with the strongest condemnation from the international community,” Millsap told The Epoch Times.
On Thursday, they called Thailand’s decision “disgraceful and inhumane.”
“Thailand has condemned these individuals to forced labor, prison, torture, and worse—despite the fact there are countries willing to welcome them with open arms. This is unacceptable behavior for any member of the international community—let alone a U.S. treaty ally,” they said in a statement. “The Thai officials complicit or active in this decision must be held accountable through concrete actions, with sanctions remaining an option. The world cannot look away from the genocide happening in front of our eyes in Xinjiang—or from those who enable it.”
