PM defends Uighur expulsion to China
Fate of 50 more hangs on nationality checks
The deportation of some 100 Uighur migrants to China followed proper procedures, insists Prime Minister Prayut Chano-cha, despite an overnight protest at the Thai honorary consulate in Istanbul, where Turks are angry about the way the Uighur minority are being treated.
The government’s expulsion of the group to China, after an earlier batch was sent to Turkey, has also drawn criticism by the UN and rights groups.
Gen Prayut said Thai authorities followed international practices in dealing with illegal migrants from verifying their nationalities to sending them back to their countries of origin.
“The problem should be resolved at government level and I can assure you we are working on it now,” the prime minister said at Government House, hours after dozens of Turkish protesters launched an overnight raid on the Thai consulate, smashing windows and ransacking parts of the building, in protest over Bangkok’s deportation of Uighur Muslims to China.
Deputy government spokesman Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak said about 100 Uighurs were sent back to China on Wednesday after a group of another 170 migrants were sent to Turkey in late June.
Before deporting them, the Thai authorities had verified their nationalities and checked their backgrounds for possible wrongdoing, Col Weerachon said.
Another 50 Uighurs are still being held in Thailand because officials cannot yet verify their nationality.
They, too, face possible deportation depending on the outcome of the verification process.
“The Chinese have assured us they will provide security to these people after their return. They will go through the legal procedures and receive humanitarian support,” he said, adding Beijing wasn’t happy that the earlier batch of migrants was sent to Turkey because Chinese officials believe some of them were “involved in activities” in China.
The protesters in Istanbul, using wooden planks and stones, smashed windows and broke into the consulate, throwing folders and personal belongings on the floor. The protest was captured by Turkish media.
It was the latest in a series of attacks in Istanbul in recent days, mostly by a youth group linked to the national opposition party MHP, in protest over Chinese treatment of Uighurs.
A Chinese restaurant was vandalised last week, even though it has a Turkish owner and a Uighur cook, while a group of Korean tourists was mistakenly attacked in Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district, according to the Hurriyet newspaper.
China’s treatment of its Turkic language-speaking Uighur minority is a sensitive issue in Turkey and has strained bilateral ties ahead of a planned visit to Beijing this month by President Tayyip Erdogan, Reuters news agency reported. Many Turks see themselves as sharing a common cultural and religious heritage with their Uighur “brothers” and Turkey is home to a large Uighur diaspora.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of Uighurs have fled unrest in China’s western Xinjiang region where hundreds of people have been killed, prompting a crackdown by Chinese authorities. Many Uighurs have travelled through Southeast Asia in the hope of finding asylum in Turkey.
The overnight attack prompted Gen Prayut to call an urgent meeting yesterday to assess the situation and order the Foreign Affairs Ministry to take care of about 1,300 Thais working in Turkey.
The Thai embassy in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, issued a warning yesterday urging Thai tour leaders not to raise the Thai flag, avoid public gatherings and refrain from taking photos of public rallies.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee confirmed no Thais were injured during the attack on the Thai consulate. Department of Employment head, Sumeth Mahosot, yesterday said 459 Thai workers in Turkey are safe. The department is working with the Foreign Ministry and job placement agencies to look after the workers, Mr Sumeth said.
The forced repatriation of the Uighurs has prompted an international outcry. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was “shocked” by the deportation of a group that may have included women and children, while US-based Human Rights Watch said it was an “appalling move by the Thai junta”.
Despite assurances by Thai authorities that the matter would be handled in accordance with international legal standards, and the group would continue to receive protection, the UN agency said it was “shocked by this deportation of some 100 people and consider it a flagrant violation of international law”, said Volker Türk, the UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, who is currently in the region.
“I strongly urge the Thai authorities to investigate this matter and appeal to Thailand to honour its fundamental international obligations, notably the principle of non-refoulement,” he added, referring to the prohibition on sending victims of persecution back to their persecutors.
“The UNHCR urges the government to allow those remaining to depart voluntarily and as soon as possible to a country of their choice which is willing to receive them,” he said.