Canada, Ugel people provided by the U.S. at Thailand asylum before deportation: Source
Sources told Reuters that Canada and the United States have offered to resettle 48 Uyghurs detained in Thailand, but Bangkok did nothing because of concerns about China being secretly deported last week.
Despite the appeal of UN human rights experts, Thailand defends deportation, which is an action taken under law and human rights obligations.
Human rights groups accuse China of widespread abuse of Uyghurs, a Muslim minority, of about 10 million ethnic groups in its northwestern Xinjiang region. Beijing denies any abuse.
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Monday that no country has made any specific proposals to resettle 48 Uyghurs.
“We’ve been waiting for more than a decade, and I’ve talked to many major countries, but no one can tell me for sure,” he told reporters.
Phumtham left the government from 2006 to mid-2023.
A U.S. State Department official said the U.S. proposed to relocate 48 Uyghurs.
“The United States has been working with Thailand for many years to avoid this, including consistent and repeated proposals to resettle Uyghurs in other countries, including the United States,” U.S. officials said.
Four sources, including diplomats and people with direct knowledge, said Canada also provided asylum to Ugel, who was detained.
Two of the sources said another proposal came from Australia.
Canada condemned China after the latter imposed sanctions on two Canadian human rights groups, the Canadian Tibet Commission (CTC) and the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project. The measures came into effect on Saturday, including asset freezes and bans entering. CTC executive director Sherap Therchin said he believes China’s sanctions are a recognition of the organization’s work.
The proposals said the proposals were not proposed by Thailand because there were concerns about any suggestions regarding the consequences with China.
All sources refuse to name due to the sensitivity of the problem.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that in response to a Reuters question, the repatriation was conducted under Chinese, Thai and international law.
“The Chinese nationals who were repatriated, they were illegal immigrants,” it said. “The legitimate rights of the people concerned are fully protected.”
A spokesman for the Canadian Immigration Department said they would not comment on individual cases.
The Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade referred to a statement from Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who said on Friday that the country “strongly disagrees with Thailand’s decision.
China’s embassy in Bangkok said in a statement Friday that 40 illegal Chinese immigrants who have not committed serious crimes returned home to reunite with their families after more than 10 years of separation.
According to local officials, five people are currently in Thai prisons due to ongoing criminal cases, in addition to the 40 Uyghurs who were deported last week. Reuters was unable to immediately confirm the whereabouts of the other three.
“Don’t want to disturb China”: Former Thai ambassador to Canada
Pisan Manawapat, the Thai ambassador to Canada and the United States, before retiring in 2024 between 2013 and 2017, said at least three countries passed proposals to relocate the Uyghurs with Thailand, but refused to name them.
“We don’t want to upset China,” Pisan told Reuters without providing more details. “So, we didn’t make a decision on the political level.”
China is Thailand’s largest trading partner and the two countries have close business ties.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham said Thailand decided to deport Thailand to China after Beijing assured that Thai officials were allowed to monitor Thai officials.
UN human rights experts have said that if they return to China, the group will face risks of torture, ill-treatment and “irreparable harm”, and their deportation has been widely condemned.
After the deportation, the UN refugee agency said in a statement that Thai authorities repeatedly rejected the organization.
The sources said the UN refugee agency was unable to obtain Uyghurs, meaning they could not handle it as asylum seekers, delaying their potential resettlement and leaving them in custody.
