Thailand yesterday deported more than 100 Uighur refugees to China, drawing harsh criticism from the UN refugee agency and human rights groups over concerns that ethnic minority members face persecution by the Beijing government.
Protesters in Turkey, which had accepted an earlier batch of Uighur refugees from Thailand, ransacked the Thai consulate overnight.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Thailand, saying the deportation violated international humanitarian laws and came despite “numerous initiatives” by Ankara to prevent their repatriation. The statement, which says 115 were deported, said Turkey would continue to monitor their fate.
Photo: AP
Thai deputy government spokesman Major General Verachon Sukhonthapatipak said that Thailand had assurances from Chinese authorities about the safety of 109 Uighurs.
However, in Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said that China would take action against those suspected of breaking the law.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said that as a third country, the matter was not Thailand’s problem, and that the place they were sent to — he did not name China — would take care of it according to its justice system.
“I’m asking if we don’t do it this way, then how would we do it?” he said. “Or do you want us to keep them for ages until they have children for three generations?”
He said that Thailand has good relations with Turkey.
“I want to explain to the Muslims that we do not mean to hurt anyone. We want to create peace as much as possible,” he said.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said it was “shocked” and considered Thailand’s action “a flagrant violation of international law.”
“I strongly urge the Thai authorities to investigate this matter and appeal to Thailand to honor its fundamental international obligations,” UN Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Volker Turk said in a statement.
The Uighurs had been in Thailand for more than a year, along with others who had fled China and claimed to be Turkish, Verachon said. Thai authorities sought to verify their nationalities before relocating them, he said.
“We found that about 170 of them were Turkish, so they were recently sent to Turkey,” he said. “And about 100 were Chinese, so they were sent to China as of this morning, under the agreement that their safety is guaranteed according to humanitarian principles.”
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