Hope for Bangkok’s Uyghurs as incoming US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledges intervention to end the 43 detainees’ decade-long ordeal, highlighting China’s repression and Thailand’s as a key ally in the fight for human rights.
Wednesday’s confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, produced a glimmer of hope that American intervention may eventually bring an end to the prolonged detention of 43 Uyghur men by Thailand’s Immigration Bureau in Bangkok. Incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio has promised to champion their release in discussions with Thailand, which is a key American ally. The men, many of whom saw their families sent to Turkey nearly 10 years ago, have found themselves in a nightmarish legal limbo. Facing the constant threat of deportation to China, they have survived in harsh, overcrowded, and cramped conditions simply because of diplomatic sensitivities.
There may be some light at the end of the tunnel for 43 Uyghur men held in Thailand. The group from Xinjiang in northwestern China were arrested in March 2014 and have been detained since then. In short, they are stuck in a no man’s land with the constant threat of deportation back to China.
Certainly, the background to this story is the repression of the Uyghur population in Xinjiang by the Chinese Communist Party.
Reports verified by United Nations sources suggest that up to 1.8 million Uyghurs have been detained in concentration camps in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Families of Uyghurs torn apart since arrests and deportation in Thailand began in 2014
Basically, this is the backdrop to the arrest of 350 Uyghurs, including men, women, and children, near Malaysia in March 2014. The large group was discovered by Immigration Bureau officers and taken to the notorious Immigration Bureau detention centre in Bangkok.
Afterwards, in early July 2015, families were split up when Turkey accepted women and children from the group. On July 9, 2015, Thailand forcibly deported 109 Uyghurs, mostly men, to China.
Previously, the sight of rigorously disciplined Chinese police escorting the prisoners onto flights wearing black hoods caused terror and revulsion worldwide, particularly in Turkey, which protested the move.
Afterwards, some officials conceded that the decision and action damaged Thailand’s image abroad irreparably.
Currently, there are 43 Uyghur men left at the Suan Phlu Immigration Bureau detention centre. Located in Sathorn, Bangkok, from the outside, the building looks peaceful and tranquil.
However, inside, the conditions are cramped due to chronic overcrowding. Relatives of the Uyghur men reveal that they are fed poorly, live in concrete rooms with no ventilation, and are denied sanitary products such as razors and toothbrushes. Furthermore, they are precluded from meeting lawyers and visitors while isolated from other inmates.
Detainees face harsh conditions in Bangkok Immigration Bureau centre as legal limbo continues for over a decade
Indeed, the plight of these men, who are being held under the authority of the National Security Council, has seen some prisoners die at the facility. In 2020, five prisoners escaped but were quickly recaptured. Later, they were prosecuted and sent to prison.
Previously, the Uyghurs applied to be treated as refugees in Thailand through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). However, Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
The group, which has suffered over a decade in harsh imprisonment, has never been charged with a crime in Thailand. Of course, they originally entered Thailand illegally.
However, they were fleeing repression, which was confirmed by the United Nations in August 2022. Then-outgoing Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet confirmed serious human rights abuses against the Uyghur population in Xinjiang.
Nonetheless, relatives of the detained men have revealed that they paid fines for illegally entering the kingdom. Certainly, they fear that deportation to China spells either potential death sentences or years of imprisonment and torture.
Attempts to resolve Uyghur detentions blocked by UN silence and constant Chinese pressure to deport them
Last year, it emerged that Thai government officials attempted to address the problem. They sought help from the United Nations but were rebuffed.
Following this, it was revealed that senior officials in the world body had noted that any active intervention by it would incur the wrath of Beijing.
Subsequently, attempts by the media to elicit a confirmation or denial of these reports were met with silence.
Undoubtedly, the issue is sensitive due to fierce pressure from the Chinese government. Certainly, it is believed that Chinese pressure applied to the Thai junta government was behind the infamous deportation in 2015. Following the deportation, there has been no account of the 109 men sent back to the communist country.
In the meantime, fears for the group rose earlier in January this year. At length, Thai Immigration Bureau officials reportedly asked the 43 detained men to sign documents.
In effect, these were disclaimers and waivers whereby the inmates accepted their deportation back to China.
Uyghur detainees’ fate tied to Thai-Chinese relations amid government discussions on deportation
In recent days, Thai officials speaking with the Associated Press and United Nations officials have strenuously denied these claims.
Again, there is reluctance by Thai officials to act openly. However, they briefed sources close to efforts on behalf of the detainees.
In brief, the news was that the matter was discussed at the government level. Consequently, a proposal was made to deport the Uyghurs, particularly because it would help Thai-Chinese relations on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Beijing.
Later, there was a reversal of course. Turgunjan Alawudun, President of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), last week told reporters that the publicity surrounding the matter had put an end to the initiative. Furthermore, he revealed that Thai officials privately have sympathy for the Uyghur cause. Significantly, Mr. Turgunjan said soem of them described the 2015 deportations as “diplomatic suicide.”
Then, like a light out of nowhere, on Wednesday, the incoming Secretary of State in the Trump administration spoke straightforwardly and affirmatively when asked if he would take up the cause of the 43 detainees.
Senator Rubio pledges action on Uyghur detainees as he signals tough stance on China’s repression
The senator from Florida, whose family immigrated from Cuba two years before the communist revolution, has promised to take a tough line with China. Certainly, Mr. Rubio, a Republican, is a champion of human rights and family values.
At his Senate confirmation hearing, he was asked by Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley if he would intervene in the case. The Democratic senator suggested that Thailand may be “on the verge” of deporting the 43 Uyghurs.
“Will you lobby for Thailand to not send these Uyghurs back to the horror they will face if they’re returned?” he asked.
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In turn, Senator Rubio gave a reply that may raise the hopes of the detained Uyghurs and their families.
“Yes, and the good news is that Thailand is actually a very strong US partner — a strong historical ally as well — so that is an area where I think diplomacy could really achieve results because of how important that relationship is and how close it is,” he declared.
Furthermore, Rubio was adamant about the persecution and repression of Uyghurs in northwestern China.
He insisted it was an issue that must be tackled. He said the case in Bangkok was “one more opportunity for us to remind the world” of the ongoing repression.
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Further reading:
Immigration boss warns that a new crackdown on foreigners flouting Thai laws has begun
