Thailand to send delegation to check on deported Uighurs

Thailand to send delegation to check on deported Uighurs

US, Turkey join chorus of international condemnations

Uighur women and children wait to be questioned after being apprehended in the southern province of Songkhla in March 2014. (Photo by Wichayant Boonchote)
Uighur women and children wait to be questioned after being apprehended in the southern province of Songkhla in March 2014. (Photo by Wichayant Boonchote)

The government said it will send public officials and international activists to China to check the treatment of more than 100 ethnic Uighurs sent back this week following international condemnations of their deportation and an attack on Thailand’s consulate in Istanbul.

Even as the United States and Turkey joined the chorus of governments and human-rights groups blasting the government for its repatriation of 109 Muslim-minority refugees, the Foreign Ministry said it would ensure the Uighurs are treated fairly by having the National Security Council send representatives to follow up on their condition.

Representatives from international organisations also would be invited to join the public officials on their trip, the ministry's Information Department said late Thursday.

The ministry's statement came after both Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and a government spokesman tried to justify the decision to send the Uighurs back to China, despite near universal predictions they would be subject to reprisals from Beijing for illegally leaving the country and other alleged subversive activities.

US condemnation

"We condemn Thailand's forced deportation on July 9 of over 100 ethnic Uighurs to China, where they could face harsh treatment and a lack of due process," the US State Department said in a statement early Friday Bangkok time.

"This action runs counter to Thailand's international obligations as well as its long-standing practice of providing safe haven to vulnerable persons," read the statement, urging the country to halt further deportations.

Aid organisations should have "unfettered" access to the Uighurs and Thailand should respect its international obligations not to expel refugees, the US said.

"We urge Thailand to allow those remaining ethnic Uighurs to depart voluntarily to a country of their choice."

Thailand had held more than 330 Uighur Muslims in detention camps since March last year for illegal entry into Thailand as it tried to verify their nationalities and navigate a diplomatic tussle between China and Turkey, which has welcomed the refugees, who claim Turkish heritage, with open arms.

On June 29, Thailand sent 172 of the Uighurs on to Turkey after China failed to show proof of their Chinese nationality or criminal offences they allegedly committed, the ministry spokesperson office said.

The same could not be said for this week's group of Uighurs, the ministry said, as Beijing verified their nationalities and provided evidence of criminal activity.

Activists have slammed allegations of criminality by China, saying the only offence the Uighurs committed was fleeing China without authorisation. Other charges of suspicious "activity" by the Muslim-minority refugees are trumped up and politically motivated, activists say.

About 60 more Uighurs remain in Thai custody as officials continue to verify their nationality, the Foreign Ministry said.

More embassy warnings

Outrage over the deportations first erupted in Turkey, where a mob broke windows and ransacked the Thai honorary consulate in Istanbul Wednesday night. No one was injured, but the Foreign Ministry issued a warning to the 1,300 Thais in Turkey to take extra care.

On Friday, the Thai embassy in Germany stated that a group of demonstrators sought permission to rally near the Berlin embassy tonight to protest against the Uighurs' repatriation.

Sek Wannamethee, director-general of the Department of Information, said Friday that the ministry told embassies and consulates worldwide to step up security on-site and for Thais living abroad in the wake of ongoing protests.

He also said that German police increased protection for the embassy in Berlin to ensure order during Friday's protest.

Meanwhile, the Thai consulate-general in Frankfurt warned that frustration over the issue could expand to big Turkish communities in Europe. Thais people living there were urged not to argue the issue with Turks and prioritise their own safety.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry released a statement Thursday saying it "deplored this act of the government of Thailand, which is in contravention also of international humanitarian law, carried out in spite of our numerous initiatives before Thailand and related international institutions".

Thailand's deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukondhapatipak said on Friday that the reaction from the Turkish government was understandable because it was being pressured by society and had to protect its standing.

However, he said the Turkish government should also realise that Thailand government facilitated the return of other Uighurs who were proved to be Turkish, he said.

The Thai embassy in Turkey remained functional except for its consular affairs section. Thais could reach the embassy via phone without having to appear there, Mr Sek said.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Uighurs have fled unrest in China's western Xinjiang region where hundreds of people have been killed, prompting a crackdown by Chinese authorities. Many Uighurs have travelled through Southeast Asia in the hope of finding asylum in Turkey.

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