Cabinet ministers from Thailand were en route to the Xinjiang region of China on Tuesday to meet some of the Uyghurs deported last month, but only five of the 40 sent back will be made available, the government has said.
Thailand sent back the 40 Uyghurs in a secretive pre-dawn deportation on Feb 27, defying calls from United Nations human rights experts who said they were at risk of torture, ill-treatment and “irreparable harm” if returned.
The move drew a sharp rebuke from western countries, including the United States, which last week hit unnamed Thai officials with visa sanctions over the deportation. The European parliament also condemned Thailand, calling on the European Union to use free trade negotiations as leverage to prevent a repeat.
Rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority numbering about 10 million in the Xinjiang region. Beijing denies any abuse and has accused western countries of interference and of peddling lies.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechachai, Justice Minister Taweee Sodswong, senior military officials and nine members of the Thai media are travelling to the city of Kashi in Xinjiang, government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said.
“The delegation will receive a summary briefing by a representative from the Xinjiang autonomous region,” said Mr Jirayu, adding they would later visit Uyghurs. The group is scheduled to return to Thailand on Thursday.
Thailand has repeatedly said it had received assurances from China that the Uyghurs would be looked after. (Story continues below)
A display erected by the World Uyghur Congress on Monday in Geneva, ahead of a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, draws attention to the “ongoing repression” faced by the group. (Photo: @UyghurCongress X account)
‘No hidden agenda’
Mr Phumtham, who is also defence minister, has said Thailand expected to meet only five of the 40 Uyghurs returned and one from a previous group sent back a decade ago.
They were all from a group of 300 Uyghurs who fled China and were arrested in 2014 in Thailand. Some were sent back to China, others to Turkey and the rest kept in Thai custody until last month’s deportation.
“The government will make known to the civilised world the straightforwardness of Thailand and that there was no hidden agenda or deportation of refugees,” Mr Jirayu added.
At a regular briefing on Tuesday in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the visit was “part of normal friendly exchanges between China and Thailand”.
Reuters reported this month that Canada and the United States had offered to resettle the Uyghurs who had been returned to China, but Bangkok feared upsetting China. Thailand said it had received no concrete offers, however.
The deportation was in the Southeast Asian country’s best interest due to the possibility of retaliation from Beijing if the group was sent elsewhere, Russ Jalichandra, a vice minister for foreign affairs, later said.