In the early hours of February 27, 2025, heavily secured transport vehicles transferred at least 40 detained Uyghurs from the Suan Phlu immigration detention center to an undisclosed airport. Shortly after, a China Southern Airlines flight departed Bangkok, landing in Kashgar, East Turkestan, six hours later. The fate of the deported Uyghurs remains unknown.
Despite global appeals and urgent warnings from human rights organizations, the Thai government proceeded with this unlawful act, disregarding the principle of non-refoulement, a core tenet of international refugee protection. By forcibly returning these individuals to China, Thailand has placed them at extreme risk of persecution, torture, ill-treatment, and enforced disappearance at the hands of Chinese authorities.
Just last month, a group of UN experts warned Thailand against this deportation, emphasizing the severe human rights violations these individuals would likely face upon their return to China. The experts also raised concerns about the worsening health of the detainees, with nearly half suffering from serious medical conditions. Given their fragile health and the severe risks they face, the forced return represents a clear violation of Thailand’s international obligations.
In response to mounting criticism, Thai officials attempted to justify their actions on Friday. At a press conference, Defence Minister and Deputy Premier Phumtham Wechayachai insisted the deportation was carried out “out of goodwill” and that Thailand “should be commended for managing this problem”. The government has also pledged periodic inspections starting next week to ensure the deportees’ wellbeing. However, such assurances are meaningless in the face of China’s well-documented atrocities against Uyghurs. The Thai government, fully aware of these crimes, has chosen to accept hollow promises from Beijing while abandoning its legal and moral obligations to protect vulnerable refugees.
As a founding member of UNPO since 1991, East Turkestan’s struggle has been central to our mission. UNPO and the World Uyghur Congress have consistently documented China’s escalating persecution of Uyghurs, including mass detention in ‘re-education’ camps, forced labor, and efforts to erase Uyghur culture. In 2021, an independent tribunal confirmed that these actions constitute genocide. It is to this brutal reality that Thailand has now returned this group of vulnerable individuals, in a flagrant violation of international law and human rights principles.
This deportation comes nearly a decade after these refugees fled Chinese state repression in East Turkestan, only to be arbitrarily detained in Thailand. Since 2014, the group of at least 40 Uyghur refugees has been held in Thai detention facilities. While the Thai government had previously assured the UNHCR of their protection, these refugees were ultimately denied legal representation, asylum status, and resettlement opportunities, despite consistent international calls for their release. The UNHCR has faced significant criticism for its failure to provide meaningful protection to these vulnerable individuals over the past decade. Despite initial efforts, the agency’s intervention has proven insufficient, unable to shield the refugees from the mounting pressure from Chinese authorities.
Following the World Uyghur Congress’s press release on the situation and their call for immediate action from the United Nations, the European Union, and concerned governments, we echo their appeal and urge the international community to respond decisively.
UNPO stands in full solidarity with the Uyghur people and calls on global leaders to take urgent action to prevent further abuses against Uyghur refugees.
