Statement on the Deportation of Uyghurs from Thailand to China
We, the members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), abhor the Thai government’s refoulement of 40 Uyghur men to China. This action constitutes a flagrant violation of Thailand’s obligations under international law, including the fundamental principle of non-refoulement which Thailand is bound to.
The Uyghurs in question fled persecution and discrimination in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), seeking safety through Thailand. Instead, they were subjected to up to 12 years of indefinite detention in life-threatening conditions, during which five people died, which UN experts noted may amount to torture and arbitrary detention.
The Thai government also ignored its own national "Anti-torture law" which prohibits non-refoulement, and overwhelming evidence and multiple warnings from UN experts and human rights organisations - including Thailand’s own National Human Rights Commission - that these individuals would face torture, persecution, imprisonment, or worse.
It was unambiguous that the group of Uyghur were seeking international protection, with 48 men from the original group of Uyghur submitting asylum applications to the UNHCR. Additionally, despite clear indications that foreign governments were willing to resettle these men, providing a safe alternative to refoulement, the Thai authorities proceeded with their forced return.
As a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Thai government has a firm responsibility to uphold human rights. By deporting the group of Uyghur to China, in full knowledge of the grave risks they face, the Thai government has severely damaged global credibility and undermined its bilateral and multilateral relationships.
As IPAC, we commit ourselves to press for our respective governments to advocate for the urgent release of these men, and to hold accountable those who have violated their fundamental rights.
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