Thu Feb 27 12:24:59 UTC 2025: ## Thailand Defies International Condemnation, Deporting Uighurs to China

**Bangkok, Thailand** – Thailand has deported at least 40 Uighurs to China, despite international outcry and warnings of potential human rights abuses. The move, confirmed by Thailand’s Defence Minister, has drawn sharp condemnation from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which denounced it as a clear violation of international law and the principle of non-refoulement.

The Uighurs, a Muslim ethnic minority group facing widespread accusations of persecution in China’s Xinjiang region, were among a larger group of 300 who fled China in 2014 and were subsequently arrested in Thailand. While some were previously deported to Turkey, and others died in Thai custody, the recent deportation involved at least 40 individuals transported in unmarked trucks from a Bangkok immigration center to a China Southern Airlines flight bound for Kashgar, Xinjiang.

The UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, expressed deep regret, stating that the deportations violate Thailand’s obligations under international law. The UN had previously pleaded with the Thai government not to proceed with the deportations, citing the high risk of torture and ill-treatment faced by the Uighurs in Xinjiang.

China, while confirming the deportation of 40 “illegal migrants,” avoided directly addressing the Uighur ethnicity of the deportees. Beijing claims the repatriation was a collaborative effort in combating cross-border crime and that the individuals were returned at the request of their families.

The Thai Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, offered a non-committal response, emphasizing the importance of following the law and upholding international processes and human rights. However, this statement did little to quell the outrage from human rights groups, including the Cross Cultural Foundation, which has filed for an immediate inquiry into the matter. The incident highlights the ongoing tension between international human rights concerns and national security interests in the face of China’s assertive foreign policy.

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