On Thursday, Thailand sent 40 illegal immigrants to China, the Chinese state media reported, hours after the real groups warned that Thailand was on the verge of returning dozens of men, Uyghur who fled in a persecution in China.
Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in China, are facing possible torture and long -term prison after returning to that country, said groups for rights. They were part of the wave of more than 300 Uyghur asylum seekers who fled in China in 2014.
They hoped to use Thailand as a transit point to get to Turkey, which is the home of a considerable community of Uyghur. But more than 40 of them were in the end in Bangkok for more than a decade. Last month some men went to a hunger strike in the midst of fear that he would return to China.
On Thursday around 2am, a journalist testified six trucks who had windows covered with a black cloth leaving the custody of the immigrant in the center of Bangkok, where the Uyghurs was detained. Several police cars followed the trucks, which is around them.
At about 5 o’clock in the morning, the unplanned China Southern Airlines flight flew from Bangkok to Kashgar in Xinjiang, the native Homeland of Uyghurs, according to Flighthradar24, which follows flights around the world. It only landed after 12 hours local time.
“All the signs indicate that at least 40 men were deported,” Julie Millsap from No Business with Genocide, a group based in Washington, who lobbied the Government to release Uyghurs said.
In a statement, Human Rights Watch criticized the Thai authorities of deporting men despite public public guarantees that he would not.
“The Thai transfer of the Uyghura detainees to China is a sharp violation of Thailand’s obligations under domestic and international laws,” said Elaine Pearson, Director of Asia to Human Rights Watch. “Men are now facing a great risk of torture, a disappearance and a prolonged prison in China.”
Thai police and the Foreign Ministry did not respond to repeated comment demands.
The Chinese report, published by the official news agency Xinhua, seemed to be deliberately unclear about deported, not providing any details about their identity or from where in China. It said “repatriation was conducted in accordance with the laws of China and Thailand, international law and international practice.”
.
Pirada Anuwech Contribution to reporting from Bangkok.
