Uyghurs facing deportation by Thailand say they will be ‘like slaves’ in China
Two Uyghur men in Thailand fear imminent deportation to China where they say they will be 'like slaves', as human rights groups warn their lives are in grave danger.
The deportation of two more Uyghurs to China from Thailand would put their lives in grave danger, activists have warned, with one of the men saying he would be 'like a slave' if sent back. The men, who had been serving a seven-year prison sentence for attempting to escape immigration detention in January 2020, were recently transferred to an immigration detention center, raising fears that Thai authorities may once again comply with Beijing's demands.
Human rights groups have called for the men to be allowed to travel to a safe third country instead. 'Previous Thai governments have kept Uyghurs in inhumane detention for years and then complied with Beijing's demands to send them to China, where they were forcibly disappeared,' said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
Historical Deportations
The two men were part of a group of more than 200 Uyghurs apprehended by Thai police in 2014 near the border with Malaysia after fleeing China. Since then, women and children in the group have been released to Turkey, while men have been deported to China in separate batches, attracting criticism from the United Nations and the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio.
Uyghurs, a Turkic minority mainly from China's Xinjiang region, have faced decades of oppressive treatment from Chinese authorities, including the incarceration of hundreds of thousands in detention camps aimed at erasing their cultural identity. Beijing defends its policies as poverty alleviation and counter-terrorism measures.
Legal Concerns
The two men reportedly pleaded their case to Thailand's office of the National Human Rights Commission on Wednesday. Thailand's national security council chief, Chaipruak Doungprapat, confirmed that the men, along with three other Uyghurs still in prison, have outstanding arrest warrants in China.
If they are really wanted for a crime in China, why didn't China immediately issue a [Interpol] red notice [when they were detained in 2014]?
Kasem believes Thailand is trying to establish a more credible legal basis for the deportation after being criticized for last year's mass repatriation. China's foreign affairs ministry defended the cooperation as consistent with international law and practice, while Thailand's foreign affairs ministry declined to comment.
Related
