Thailand’s police chief defends the late-night deportation of 48 Uyghurs to China, calling it a necessary move after a decade of detention. The operation sparked uproar in parliament, human rights outcry and fears the men face persecution or worse upon return.
On Thursday evening, the Royal Thai Police Chief came out to defend the operation on Wednesday night, which saw 48 Uyghur men deported back to Xinjiang in China from Don Mueang Airport. A Chinese charter flew the group back to northern China, where Chinese officials claim family members awaited them. On Thursday afternoon, Thailand’s parliament descended into uproar over the move, while a human rights activist petitioned the courts. Nonetheless, it appears the ongoing saga over the Uyghur detainees at Bangkok’s infamous Suan Phlu detention centres is finally over after over 10 years in custody. On Thursday, General Kittirat Phanphet asked how much longer the endless burden could continue to be shouldered by Thai authorities? He urged the public to have sympathy with Thai police doing their duty.
Thailand moved on Wednesday night to deport 48 detainees, including 43 Uyghurs illegal migrants, back to China. In a meticulously planned operation, unmarked vehicles with blacked-out windows collected the Uyghurs detained at the infamous Suan Phlu Immigration Bureau Detention Centre in Bangkok.
Watched by police, the convoy moved through the quiet streets of Bangkok to Don Mueang Airport. The group was then flown in a Chinese aircraft to Xinjiang Province in the northwest corner of China.
On Wednesday afternoon in Bangkok, the operation was confirmed by the Chinese Embassy.
Chinese embassy confirms repatriation operation with statement and released photographs of detainees
The statement, issued at 4:29 p.m., explained that a chartered Chinese plane had been used in the operation. It was owned by the Civil Aviation Company of China.
The short statement was accompanied by photographs of the departed refugees. In one picture, attention was drawn to Mr. Chatchai Bangchuad, the Secretary-General of the Thai National Security Council.
“The Chinese illegal immigrants who were sent back to China this time have been detained in Thailand for more than 10 years. Due to complex international factors, the Chinese public security and immigration authorities have taken swift action. This was to allow these people to return home after complying with relevant legal procedures. At length, this is in accordance with the requirements of strict, standardized, fair, and civilized law enforcement. In short, it helped them return to normal life,” the statement declared.
The shocking revelation that the Uyghurs, who had been held in custody since 2014, were gone caused consternation in Bangkok. The House of Representatives held a raucous debate on the subject. During this, Pheu Thai Party MPs clashed with People’s Party representatives.
Heated debate erupts in Thailand’s House of Representatives over sudden repatriation of Uyghurs
At one point, a People’s Party member asked a Pheu Thai member if he was a Chinese MP or a representative of the Thai people.
In brief, it came as the ruling Pheu Thai Party and officials insisted that the move was simply an enforcement of the 1979 Immigration Act. Basically, these were Chinese nationals who had entered Thailand illegally.
However, the late-night operation on Wednesday came after repeated assurances from Thai officials that no repatriation to China was planned. In January, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had promised a confirmation panel in Washington, D.C., that he would take up the matter.
President Trump’s top diplomat suggested he would look favourably on the plight of the refugees. The 48 men repatriated on Wednesday were taken primarily from the Immigration Bureau detention centre in Bangkok.
However, five came from prison. These men were part of a larger group of Uyghur refugees arrested in Thailand in 2014. Previously, they had been seeking to reach Malaysia. In July 2015, 109 men had been controversially deported to China.
Before that, Turkey had taken all the women and children from the group. Families were separated as China demanded the repatriation of all the refugees. After that, some of the detainees at the Immigration Bureau detention centre in Bangkok died.
Human rights activists warn repatriation is a death sentence amid growing U.S.-China geopolitical tensions
Human rights activists in Bangkok had repeatedly pressed their case. Certainly, they had warned that any repatriation of these men was, in truth, an inevitable death sentence.
At the same time, the battle over the plight of the refugees is seen as a tug-of-war between America and China. Nevertheless, there are questions to be asked about the role of both the United Nations and U.S. diplomats.
For instance, why the remaining Uyghur men were not accounted for earlier? Certainly, Wednesday night’s actions must be seen as a rebuff to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. On the other hand, China has for a long time stated that the Uyghurs being detained were linked with terrorism.
Undoubtedly, the deportation of the 109 Uyghurs in July 2015 was subsequently linked to the deadly bombing at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok a month later. Twenty people died, and 125 were injured.
Nonetheless, despite two men from Xinjiang being arrested and tried by a military court, the case was never quite finalized. Certainly, it is thought that the atrocity was linked to Uyghur terrorism in Thailand.
Witness testimony and past incidents raise concerns over the treatment of detainees and legal proceedings
Furthermore, in 2019, a U.K. man identified as Kai Isaacs claimed he witnessed the death of an American man at the Immigration Bureau detention centre in Bangkok.
Forty-one-year-old Rickey McDonald died in his arms. He claimed that the death of the American was caused by abusive behaviour by foreign detainees at the centre. The death was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
China has consistently claimed that the Uyghurs detained were jihadists. Indeed, in January, an attorney for the group, Rayhan Asat, a human rights lawyer, made that clear. She warned of the danger facing the group if sent to China.
“If the deportation occurs, Thailand will effectively issue death sentences, thereby aiding and abetting the Chinese government in committing atrocities.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Ms. Pornpen Khongkhachonkiet, Director of the Foundation for the Promotion of Human Rights, tried to take action against the government.
She filed a motion with the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road. The was under the 2022 Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act.
In particular, Section 26(6) of a 2022 law. It named Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and National Police Commissioner General Kittirat Phanphet.
Thai court rejects human rights motion challenging deportation under anti-torture and disappearance law
However, her application was turned down as the court ruled she had no standing.
Afterwards, the human rights activist argued that the act allowed action by a concerned person or witness. She said she would consult with her legal advisors and possibly file another motion later.
At the same time, People’s Party MP Rangsiman Rome, who chairs the House of Representatives Committee on National Security, Border Affairs, National Strategy, and Reform, also spoke out.
“I think it will have a significant impact and be a major issue, not just for Thailand because it affects international trust, especially Thailand’s role in human rights,” he wrote on X. In particular, he saw the actions by authorities on Wednesday night as a potential blot on U.S.-Thai relations.
Mr. Rome especially noted the stance expressed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in January. Undeniably, the repatriation of the Uyghurs from Bangkok must be seen as a further denting of the relationship between the United States and Thailand.
Thai government strengthens regional cooperation amid crackdown on asylum seekers and dissidents
Indeed, the Pheu Thai-led government under Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra has, since its inception, taken a harder line with asylum seekers. The Thai government presently works closely with both Cambodia and Vietnam.
For instance, there has been no attempt as yet to arrest two leading Cambodian suspects in the murder of former Canadian MP Kim Lim-Ya in January. Certainly, the Thai hitman is charged and imprisoned. However, the key orchestrators of the plot, with links to the Canadian regime, are still at large. Both are in Cambodia.
Just last weekend, Thailand arrested 68 Vietnamese asylum seekers at a funeral in Nonthaburi. Over 40 of these were Montagnards, a persecuted anti-communist ethnic minority. This group fought with South Vietnam during the civil war in the 1970s.
Presently, a key Montagnard leader, Y Quynh Bdap, is fighting an extradition order by a Bangkok court. In Vietnam, he faces a 10-year prison sentence for terrorism—basically, this is linked to ongoing protests by Montagnards in the repressive communist state.
Thai government aligns with regional neighbours despite human rights concerns over asylum seekers’ fate
It appears that the present Pheu Thai-led government is adopting a policy of cooperation with the kingdom’s regional neighbours despite human rights concerns. In short, it is a hardline policy where national security is the overriding consideration.
On Thursday, there was anticipation in Bangkok as to what the U.S. response to the deportation would be.
Finally, hope dawns for jailed Uyghurs as incoming US Secretary of State Marco Rubio promises support
UK man’s survival story after Bangkok IDC hell hole ordeal spotlights the issue of imprisoned Uyghurs
UK man claims FBI investigating the death of 41-year-old American held at Thai immigration jail in May
Meanwhile, it is understood that the deportation operation was given the green light by both the National Security Council and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
In particular, it is suggested that the matter was discussed between Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Chinese officials during her trip to Beijing earlier in February. The Thai premier, during that visit, had an audience with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Police chief defends the police operation to the press
Later on Thursday, Thailand’s police chief gave further details on Wednesday night’s operation. General Kittirat Phanphet insisted that there was no coercion involved.
The operation was orchestrated by Deputy National Police Chief Police General Kraibhun Truadsong. Certainly, Thai officials had received a letter from Chinese representatives assuring that the detainees would be treated well. Indeed, General Kittirat told reporters that the men’s families were waiting for them in Xinjiang when their plane touched down.
At length, he confirmed that the vehicles which transported the men were not official ones. They were blacked out with covers to protect the detainees as they were ferried through the city. The timing was arranged so that there would be no traffic. The safety and privacy of the deported men were a priority for the police.
On Thursday, General Kittirat Phanphet called for some consideration for Thai police and security services. He said the country must uphold the 1979 Immigration Act. However, in this case, the police services faced ongoing criticism for the group’s detention. For instance, there were ongoing concerns about the men’s health and conditions for them at the Immigration Bureau detention center.
At the same time, police could not simply release them while the matters had dragged on for so long. In short, the situation had to be resolved.
General Kittirat pointed out that it was normal to repatriate or deport people who entered Thailand illegally. At the same time, the human rights of the detained men had been respected.
The chief pointed out that the continued detention of these men was an ongoing burden on the Thai state. He asked how much longer it could go on?
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