These hapless migrants have been incarcerated for almost ten years because of Thai gov't inaction and cowardice... caught between a rock and a hard place, the US and China.
Whatever the Thais do will offend one of their Big Brothers.
Now Li'l Marco has spoken up and scared the pee out of them. No telling what the new administration in Washington will do about this issue.
The Thais should have sent them all off to Turkey (where they are welcome) a long time ago and China be damned.
But no, they have been pussy-whipped and find it very hard to act independently.