On Thursday (March 6), a minister in Thailand stated that the decision to repatriate 40 Uyghurs to China last week was in the best interest of Thailand, fearing potential retaliation from the Chinese authorities if these individuals were sent elsewhere.
According to Reuters, Russ Jalichandra, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, mentioned in a statement on Thursday that “Thailand could face retaliation from China (the Chinese Communist Party), which would impact the livelihood of many Thais.” He added that sending these individuals back to China was the “best choice.”
Jalichandra did not specify what form the potential retaliation might take.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Bangkok did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comments on the Deputy Minister’s mention of retaliation.
In his statement, Jalichandra referenced some countries that had proposed to resettle these Uyghurs, contradicting previous claims by Thai officials that they had not received such proposals.
However, he did not specify which countries.
According to Reuters’ report on Wednesday, countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia had proposed resettling these Uyghurs, but Bangkok refrained from taking action out of concern for angering Beijing.
The Thai government has repeatedly defended the secretive repatriation operation, despite warnings from United Nations human rights experts that these Uyghurs faced risks of torture, abuse, and “irreparable harm” if sent back to China.
Human rights organizations have accused the Chinese government of widespread abuse against the Uyghur minority, mainly Muslims, in its northwestern Xinjiang region. Beijing denies these allegations.
In 2014, over three hundred Uyghurs fled from China to Thailand and were arrested in Bangkok. In 2015, Thailand forcibly repatriated 109 of them to China, while another 173 (mostly women and children) were sent to Turkey. The remaining 53 individuals were held in Thai immigration detention facilities, with five deaths occurring during their detention. Later, five individuals were jailed for escaping, while the other 43 continued to be detained in the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center.
It wasn’t until February 27 that Thai authorities repatriated 40 Uyghurs to China, sparking international condemnation.