US nominee Rubio vows to stop Uyghur deportations from Thailand
Donald Trump’s nominee for the position of US Secretary of State expressed intentions to persuade Thailand against deporting 48 Uyghurs to China, where they may face persecution.
Marco Rubio, during his confirmation hearing in Washington, stated his commitment to this cause. The Republican senator from Florida is anticipated to be confirmed as the leading diplomat under the incoming Trump administration.
Recent reports suggest that the Uyghur men, detained in Thailand for over a decade, fear imminent deportation to China, where activists warn they could face abuse and torture. Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, highlighted during Wednesday’s hearing that Thailand was on the brink of sending the Uyghurs back to China, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Merkley asked Rubio if he would advocate for Thailand to refrain from deporting the Uyghurs to the potential dangers awaiting them in China. Rubio, noted for his firm stance on China policy, confirmed his intention to do so. He emphasised Thailand’s role as a significant US partner and historical ally, suggesting that diplomacy could be effective due to the strength and closeness of their relationship.
Rubio described the situation in Thailand as an opportunity to draw global attention to the persecution faced by Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where authorities have detained approximately 1.8 million Uyghurs in internment camps since 2017.
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) recently stated that the renewed publicity surrounding the Uyghur detainees’ case in Thailand has reduced the immediate risk of their deportation. WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun mentioned the council’s communication with a Thai official, whose identity remains confidential due to the sensitive nature of their discussions.
This official reportedly acknowledged that Thailand’s image suffered significantly after deporting over 100 Uyghurs to China in 2015, and the country is still dealing with the repercussions. Deporting Uyghurs again would be considered “diplomatic suicide.”
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees informed RFA on Monday, January 13, that after hearing unverified reports about the potential deportation, it contacted Thai authorities, who assured them that the reports were false.
A decade ago, Thailand became a common transit point for Uyghurs fleeing heightened repression in China as they attempted to reach Turkey, a nation historically supportive of Uyghur asylum seekers. The majority of those currently detained in Bangkok were part of a group of about 350 individuals arrested by immigration authorities near the Malaysia border in March 2014.
In July 2015, approximately 170 women and children from this group were released to Turkey. However, a week later, 109 individuals, mainly men, were deported to China, and their current whereabouts remain unknown. The remaining detainees have been held in immigration detention in Thailand, with at least a dozen having escaped and five dying in custody, including two children.
Five of the asylum seekers are serving prison sentences related to a 2020 escape attempt, while the remaining 43 are detained without charge in the Suan Phlu detention centre. They endure sweltering, foul-smelling, and cramped conditions, and are prohibited from communicating with their families, lawyers, or other detainees, reported Bangkok Post.
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