The jailbreak of 20 illegal Uighur migrants from a detention centre in the southern province of Songkhla earlier this week poses a foreign policy dilemma for the military regime.
Some have managed to cross the border to Malaysia. Five of them were reportedly re-arrested by Malaysian authorities. The remainder are still at large.
The Uighur are a Muslim minority from the Xinjiang region of China who have fled human rights abuses carried out by the Chinese government. It is well known that they have no intention of living in Thailand or nearby countries. For them, Thailand is just a transit point to a third country, presumably Turkey which has a policy of accepting all such migrants thanks to their Islamic ties.
Some 100-200 Uighur are reportedly still being held in detention centres. Most of them were apprehended by Thai authorities when sneaking onto Thai soil in early 2014 in the hope of a new life elsewhere. Instead, they ended up in detention centres.
It is known that Beijing, claiming that some Muslim migrants are associated with terror attacks in the restive Xinjiang region, wants all the Uighur back for trial. Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said if those migrants face charges in their country, they will be sent back. Yet deportation, as mentioned by Gen Prawit on Tuesday, does not seem to be a choice right now.
Back in July, 2015, Thailand decided to deport 109 Uighur to China, at its request, disregarding concerns by human rights groups. Just weeks after the forced deportation, Bangkok became the target of a deadly bomb attack which several observers believed was retaliation for handing the Uighur back to China. Twenty, mostly Chinese tourists, died when a bomb was detonated at the popular Erawan shrine.
The regime, in particular Gen Prawit, who is believed to be the key man behind the deportation order in exchange for closer ties with Beijing, ruled out any connection between the Erawan shrine bombing and the Uighur deportation as the trial of the bomb suspects continued at a snail's pace. Yet there is no information to counter the Uighur theory. The arrest of a wife of a Turkish man suspected to have a role in the Erawan bombing only complicated the matter.
Many observers believe this is the high cost of friendship with Beijing. Every August, authorities are ordered to tighten up security, especially in the area around the Erawan shrine.
It's sad that innocent people seeking a new life in a place where they can freely practise their religious beliefs have to end up in custody for years.
Detention centres that accommodate these illegal migrants are designed for their temporary custody pending deportation or a transfer process, should returning them to their place of origin prove to be life-threatening as with the Uighur. They are not equipped with facilities for long-time detention.
Under Thailand's immigration law, authorities have no obligation to hand over illegal migrants to their country of origin. The migrants, like the Uighur, have breached the law but their period behind bars has exceeded the penalty for the crime they committed under immigration law. Forced deportation is out of the question since these people are at high risk of being deprived of their basic rights.
It's time for the Thai state to end the dilemma, and counter China over this difficult issue on an equal footing. The burden of proof falls on Beijing if any Uighur migrants are wanted for their alleged roles in attacks in the country.
Yet the Thai state has the full power to consider the evidence and may seek help from international organisations in deciding the process. In principle, those without a terrorist background must be given the chance to start afresh on a humanitarian basis.