The Uyghurs fled China – which has been accused of grave human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region against Uyghurs – more than a decade ago and live in constant fear of being sent back
read more
This photo shows an immigration detention center where Uyghur detainees are held in Bangkok, Thailand. AP
Thai authorities denied Wednesday there was an immediate plan to send back to China 48 Uyghurs held in the country’s detention centres, after UN experts warned the group could face torture if they return.
The Uyghurs fled China – which has been accused of grave human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region against Uyghurs – more than a decade ago and live in constant fear of being sent back.
Rights groups have said the Thai government plans to return them imminently, and on Tuesday United Nations experts urged authorities to “to immediately halt” the possible transfer.
Thai authorities have repeatedly denied such a plan.
“The decision will be made by the national security council, so far there is no order (to send them back),” a senior official from the immigration department, who declined to be named, told AFP on Wednesday.
An official from the national security council also told AFP “there was no order”.
That followed remarks on Monday by national police chief Kitrat Phanphet who said “Thai police and the immigration department have not received any reports about the deportation”.
Asked about the detained Uyghurs on Wednesday, China’s foreign ministry said it was “not aware of the specific situation”.
“We resolutely crack down on any form of illegal migration and oppose any indulgence of or even support for illegal migrant behaviour,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.
Decade in detention
The group of 48 Uyghurs, arrested in 2013 and 2014, are being held in immigration centres around Thailand.
UN experts say they were detained after crossing the Thai border to seek protection, and they have allegedly been held in de facto incommunicado detention for more than a decade, with no access to lawyers or family members.
Urging Thailand to help them acce