Thailand Faces Scrutiny Over Uyghur Deportations and Human Rights Concerns

Kaila Engle 

Staff Writer

On February 27th, Thailand sent back 40 Uyghur male detainees to China. The detainees had been in Thai custody since fleeing persecution in China in 2014. They are among 48 of 300 Uyghurs who fled persecution in China and were headed to Türkiye before being intercepted in Thailand. The Associated Press reports that in 2015, 170 women and children detainees were sent to Türkiye, while a little more than 100 men were sent back to China. 

The deportation of Uyghur detainees back to China faced heavy criticism from the international community, and until this past February, Thailand had not deported any more detainees. The return of the Uyghurs to China faced such heavy criticism because, since 2014, the Chinese government has instituted oppressive measures against them. Uyghurs are a Muslim ethnic minority primarily located in the Xinjiang region and not a part of China’s Han majority. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, in 2017, the Chinese government began systematically attacking and assimilating the Uyghurs. 

It was also reported that more than an estimated one million Uyghurs were relocated by the Chinese government from their homes in Xinjiang to reeducation and labor camps, where they faced torture and forced imprisonment. The government has also sought to control the Uyghur population growth by enforcing forced sterilization on thousands of Uyghur women. Human Rights Watch publicly condemned these practices and, in 2022, released a report declaring the actions against the Uyghurs to be crimes against humanity. 

The actions against the Uyghurs have also been considered genocide by leaders across the world. Mike Pompeo, former US Secretary of State, was one of the first to call it genocide in his 2021 address, reports The New York Times. The Chinese government has not publicly acknowledged these crimes.

  reports that Thailand’s actions violate international law, specifically Article Three of the Convention on Torture, Article Seven of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article Fourteen of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, urged the Thai government to stop future deportations and uphold the rights of Uyghurs still detained in their custody. He also called on the Chinese government to provide transparency regarding the whereabouts and conditions of the recently deported individuals. 

Amidst criticisms of violating international law, the Thai government has defended its action, insisting that the return of the men was in accordance with international law. Phumtham Wechayachai, the Deputy Minister of Thailand, told Reuters reporters that “They will be looked after well because they are their people.” He also said that after health checks, the deported Uyghurs would be reunited with their relatives. Additionally, the Thailand National Security Council traveled on the same plane as the Uyghurs to ensure their safe arrival. 

Another reason for the Thai government to return the men, aside from sending them back to their native homeland, has not been provided. However, The New York Times reports that three weeks prior to the return of the Uyghurs, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra traveled to Beijing and met with Xi Jinping, President of China. At this meeting, there was a discussion about a railway project and new avenues to promote Chinese tourism. The economic incentive of a stronger relationship with China could have been an incentive for the deportation, despite international criticisms. 

The U.S. has criticized the actions of the Thai government, specifically Secretary of State Mark Rubio, who condemned their actions. On February 27th, the  released a statement expressing alarm over the return of the Uyghurs and recognizing the Chinese government’s actions as genocide.  

The New York Times also reports insights from Julie Milsap, who works for No Business With Genocide, a lobbying organization based in D.C. that has been advocating for the rights of Uyghurs. She stated that she was told U.S. officials attempted to pressure the Thai government. However, due to the withdrawal of USAID funding, they were unsuccessful in their efforts. She claimed, “The Thais weighed the potential backlash and decided that they would rather deal with the United States than Chinese pressure.” This marks one of the first international setbacks resulting from the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw USAID funding.

Image courtesy of Getty Images.