Thailand deports dozens of Uighuri in China

At least 40 Uyghurs have been deported to China, Thai authorities have confirmed, despite warnings by rights groups that are facing possible torture and even death.

The group is believed to have been taken back to the region of Syndzian in China on Thursday after being detained for 10 years at the Bangkok detention center.

China is accused of committing crimes against humanity and possibly genocide against the population of Uighur and other Muslim ethnic groups in the Northwest region of Sindzian. Beijing denies all the claims.

For the first time, Thailand has deported Uyghurs since 2015

The deportation is secretly encased after serious concerns have been raised from the US and the United Nations organization.

Thai media reported that several trucks, some, with windows blocked with sheets of black plastic, leave the main center for retaining Bangkok immigration in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Hours later, Tracker Flightrader24 showed an unplanned flight of China Southern Airlines, which leaves Bangkok, eventually arrives in Sindzian. It was not clear immediately how many people were deported.

Thai Defense Minister told Reuters news agency that Beijing had assured that the deportments would take care of.

Beijing said 40 Chinese illegal immigrants were repatriated by Thailand, but declined to confirm that the group was Uighur.

“Repatriation is carried out in accordance with the laws of China and Thailand, international law and international practice,” the foreign ministry said.

Chinese state media said the group was “enchanted” by criminal organizations and was stuck in Thailand after leaving the country illegally.

Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra did not initially confirm that deportations had been conducted when requested by reporters.

“In every country in the world, they must adhere to the principles of law, international processes and human rights,” she said.

The group is thought to be the last of more than 300 Uyghurs to be detained at the Thai border in 2014 after fleeing the repression in Sindzian.

Many of them have been sent to Turkey, which usually offers a haven to Uighuri and others have been Deported back to China In 2015, a storm of protest by governments and human rights groups.

“What does the Thai government do?” Asked by opposition MPs Canave Susang on Social Media on Thursday.

“There must be no deportation to Uighur to encounter pursuit. They have been closed for 11 years. We have violated their human rights for too long.”

The detention center, where the Uighurs – who was accused without crime, besides entering Thailand without a visa – was known to be unhygienic and overpopulated. Five Wiguri died in custody.

In a statement on Thursday, Human Rights Watch said the group is now facing a high risk of torture, necessitating a long -term prison.

“The transfer of Thailand of the detained by Uighur to China is a gross violation of Thailand’s obligations under domestic and international laws,” said Asia Director Elaine Pearson.

“Until yesterday (Wednesday), senior Thai officials made numerous public assurances that these men would not be transferred, including to allies and UN employees.”

Phil Robertson, director of the AHRLA human rights and labor group (Ahrla), said deportations “completely destroyed” the “charm” that the current Thai government was different from the previous “when it comes to transnational repression and cooperation with authoritarian neighbors.”

Amnesty International described deportations as “unimaginably cruel”.

The bilateral members of the China Committee in the United States on Wednesday issued a statement warning that deportations “will be a clear violation of international human rights norms to which the Thailand Kingdom is obliged under international law.”

The UN said it “deeply regrets” for deportations.

There are about 12 million Uyguri, mostly Muslims living in Syndzian, which is officially known as the autonomous region of Syndzian Uighur (Xuar).

Uyghurs speak their own language, which is similar to Turkish, and see themselves as cultural and ethnically close to central Asian nations. They make up less than half of the population of Sindzian.

In recent decades, there has been a mass migration of the Chinese by Khan (the Chinese ethnic majority) in Sindzian, allegedly organized by the state to dilute the population of minorities there.

China is also accused of directed to Muslim religious figures And a ban on religious practices in the region, as well as the destruction of mosques and tombs.

With additional reporting from Thanyarat Doksone in Bangkok