Thai Rights Groups condemn Uyghur deportations to China, urge UN to suspend Thailand from HRC

BANGKOK(Thailand): Thai human rights advocates on Tuesday voiced their disapproval regarding the government’s decision to deport 40 Uyghurs back to China, asserting that the United Nations should consider expelling Thailand from its Human Rights Council, as this move made the nation appear to be serving Chinese interests, according to a Radio Free Asia (RFA) report.

Thailand sent the Uyghurs back to China on February 27, disregarding warnings from the US, UN, and various human rights organisations that these individuals faced the risk of torture upon their return to Xinjiang, the region they fled over a decade ago, as reported by RFA.

“The UN ought to evaluate the possibility of suspending Thailand from the Human Rights Council,” stated Chalida Tacharoensuk, director of the People’s Empowerment Foundation, during a parliamentary meeting focused on the Uyghurs, as cited by the RFA report.

In October last year, the UN General Assembly elected Thailand as one of 18 members of the Human Rights Council for the term 2025-2027.

“We hope there won’t be a third instance of Uyghur deportations. The two previous occurrences have already been disgraceful enough,” Chalida added, as quoted by RFA.

The RFA report indicated that the 40 Uyghurs were part of an initial group of over 350 Uyghur men, women, and children who left China in search of resettlement opportunities abroad and were intercepted and detained in Thailand in 2014.

Turkiye accepted 172 of them, while Thailand returned 109 of them to China in 2015, sparking significant international backlash. Several individuals from that group have died from illnesses over the years, and eight remain in Thailand, according to RFA.

Bangkok affirmed that the return of the men was voluntary following a formal request from Beijing and after receiving assurances from China regarding their safety, RFA reported.

Thailand asserted it had been unsuccessful in finding a third country willing to accept the men and that it had received assurance from China that Thai officials would be permitted to visit and monitor their conditions.

The struggles of China’s Uyghur population, primarily situated in Xinjiang, have attracted significant global attention. Reports indicate severe human rights abuses, including forced labour, arbitrary detentions in supposed “re-education” camps, and pervasive surveillance. (ANI)