Home » Deportation threat looms for Uyghurs in Thailand Amid growing tensions with China

Deportation threat looms for Uyghurs in Thailand Amid growing tensions with China

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File Source: X “AP News”

Niluper, a Uyghur refugee living in Turkey, has spent the past decade hoping for her husband’s release from a Thai detention center where he has been held since 2014, along with 47 other Uyghur men.

Despite being granted asylum in Turkey with her three sons, Niluper fears she and her children may never see him again after recent reports that Thai officials attempted to have the detainees sign forms consenting to deportation to China. 

“I don’t know how to explain this to my sons,” Niluper told the BBC, explaining that her youngest son has never met his father. “I’m living in constant pain, constant fear that at any moment I may get the news from Thailand that my husband has been deported.”

The Thai government has denied immediate plans to send the detainees back to China, but human rights groups warn the deportation could happen at any time. In 2015, Thailand deported 109 Uyghur asylum seekers, sparking protests from governments and human rights organizations worldwide. Little is known about their fate after their return, with reports of long prison sentences following secret trials.

The 43 remaining Uyghur men are being held in the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Bangkok, a notorious facility described as “a hell on earth” due to overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and inadequate medical care. Many detainees are isolated from other inmates, rarely allowed outside, and denied visitors or legal counsel. 

“The conditions there are appalling,” said Chalida Tajaroensuk, director of the People’s Empowerment Foundation. “There is not enough food – it is mostly just soup made with cucumber and chicken bones. The water they get is dirty, and only basic medicines are provided.”

Niluper, who was detained in the IDC for several months before her release, recalls the trauma of being separated from her husband and the harsh conditions she endured, including giving birth alone in a bathroom. Her eldest son, who was separated from her during detention, later experienced severe trauma after witnessing a guard beat an inmate.

The ongoing repression of Uyghurs in China, where up to one million are believed to be detained in re-education camps, has driven many to flee, including Niluper and her family. They were part of a group of 220 Uyghurs detained in Thailand after attempting to flee China in 2014. While Niluper was eventually granted asylum in Turkey, her husband remains in detention, with no communication since 2014.

Thailand has faced increasing pressure from China, with the Uyghur detainees’ fate now largely handled by Thailand’s National Security Council, a body with strong military influence. The Thai government’s growing ties with China, particularly in the economic sector, have raised concerns that the remaining Uyghurs will be deported to satisfy Beijing’s demands.

Human rights groups are calling on Thailand to allow the remaining Uyghurs to join their families in Turkey, but Thailand’s refusal to grant refugee status and its lack of transparency regarding the detainees’ future remain obstacles. The United Nations has been accused of doing little to assist, as it has been denied access to the detainees.

For Uyghur refugees like Hasan Imam, who was part of the group detained by Thai authorities in 2014, the uncertainty is unbearable. After escaping Thailand in 2016, Hasan now works in Turkey but remains in constant worry about the fate of his detained family members. “The mental strain for them is unbearable,” he said, describing the fear of both deportation and the potential punishment their families might face upon their return to China.

The looming threat of deportation for the Uyghurs held in Thailand highlights the broader challenges faced by Uyghur refugees and the fragile international response to China’s crackdown on its Muslim minority.

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