Phumtham promises to adhere to human rights in handling detained Uyghurs

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025
Phumtham promises to adhere to human rights in handling detained Uyghurs

Deputy PM Phumtham reaffirms that Thailand will uphold human rights in handling 48 Uyghurs detained since 2013, amid calls from Human Rights Watch to prevent their deportation to China.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai reiterated on Thursday that the Thai government would adhere to human rights and international law when dealing with 48 Uyghur refugees who have been detained since 2013.

Phumtham noted that in the past ten years, Thailand has not deported a single Uyghur back to China.

However, Phumtham said that since the 48 Uyghurs had entered the kingdom unlawfully, Thailand also had to deal with them according to Thai law.

On 17 January, Human Rights Watch issued a statement urging Thailand not to deport the 48 Uyghur men to China.

It warned that the group could face risks of enforced disappearance, long-term imprisonment, torture, and other severe mistreatment if Thailand forcibly returned them to China.

“In March 2014, Thai police in Songkhla province, near the Malaysian border, arrested about 220 Uyghur men, women, and children, charged them with immigration violations, and soon transferred them to an immigration detention facility in Bangkok. In several separate incidents around the same period, authorities arrested dozens of other Uyghurs and placed them in immigration detention facilities around the country. In July 2015, about 170 of the Uyghur women and children detained in Songkhla were released to Turkey. A week later, however, Thai authorities forcibly transferred over 100 Uyghur men to Chinese authorities, who flew them to China,” Human Rights Watch stated.

“The 48 Uyghurs who remain in detention have been held for more than 10 years, in squalid conditions with poor hygiene and inadequate medical care, under constant fear that they might also be transferred to Chinese custody. Five Uyghurs detained since 2014 have died in detention, including a newborn and a three-year-old.”

Phumtham said Thailand still needed to find a solution for the 48 detained Uyghurs based on Thai sovereignty, human rights, international law, and international treaties.

He acknowledged that problems could arise no matter how Thailand handled the issue.

“We must see what can be done. Most importantly, international law must be observed, and human rights must be taken into account. Don’t worry, the Thai government still adheres to the principle that no one will be sent back to danger,” Phumtham said.

He added that the issue should be handled behind the scenes rather than through the media.

Phumtham made the comment a day after the Senate’s committee on human rights announced that it is seeking a meeting with him to discuss the government’s plans regarding the 48 Uyghurs.
 

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