National police chief Pol Gen Kittharath Punpetch has defended the treatment of Uyghurs being detained in Bangkok, saying if their treatment was poor, claims would have surfaced in media reports long ago.
Pol Gen Kittharath was responding on Wednesday after being asked about Sen Angkhana Neelapaijit's call that authorities grant access to a Senate committee to visit the detained Uyghurs, amid concerns over their living conditions.
Angkhana: Visit timely
As of now, 43 are incarcerated at the Immigration Bureau (IB) headquarters in Soi Suan Phlu in Yannawa district. Another five are in prison facing criminal charges.
Sen Angkhana, chairwoman of the Senate committee on political development, public participation, human rights and consumer protection, on Wednesday expressed concerns shared by human rights organisations that the Uyghur group could face danger if they are sent back to China.
Some reports have emerged that such moves are afoot, though the government denies it.
She said that amid controversy, the Prayut Chan-o-cha government returned 109 Uyghur men held at immigration detention centres across Thailand in 2013 to China at Beijing's request, and their fate remained unknown.
The committee had tried to visit the detainees, without success. They had heard one Uyghur was holding a hunger strike while another person died last year. Another remains in a hospital and is seriously ill, she said.
"The committee expresses concern because the detainees may not have had food for a long time, especially the one staging a hunger strike. The committee recommends the International Red Cross visit the Uyghur detainees and provide advice on repatriation," she said.
In response, Pol Gen Kittharath said on Wednesday the matter should be raised with the IB chief Pol Lt Gen Panumart Boonyalak directly, as such matters fall under him.
He said the IB was also prepared to improve detention facilities, including providing exercise activities and ensuring proper nutrition.
"They have been detained for 10 years. If they were not taken care of well, the information would have come out a long time ago," he said.
Regarding their possible repatriation to China, he said the Royal Thai Police had not received any orders or guidelines from the government.
Pol Gen Kittharath said that when foreigners illegally enter the Kingdom, their cases must be handled under the Immigration Act.
Detention procedures must also comply with rule of laws and human rights principles.
He affirmed that proper measures are in place to maintain and protect detainees' rights.