Thailand Deports Uyghurs Despite International Asylum Offers

[Surasak]

Just how low can these Thai MPs stoop? Even third world countries are better than this crowd of clowns.

[lordgrinz]

They should have been given the opportunity to head to another predominately Muslim country that would take them.

[Aussie999]

Today's news, 6 March... The US,  Canada, and Australia, have all  over the last 10 years  said they would take them as refugees.

This is another case of Thailand telling BS lies, general option  Thailand afraid of upsetting China.

[the_best_of_me]

Totally disgusting! 🤮

[TheFishman1]

The country should’ve known if they wanted them they need to pay Thailand a bunch of money that’s all timing government thinks about his money what they did is shameful I forgot there’s no shame in this country TIT

[ChicagoExpat]

2 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

I'm with Thailand on this one. Muslims can't be assimilated and are a problem waiting to happen. Those people pictured below are presumably citizens in some Western country that have the exact same rights as you do except the live in a parallel societies.

 

The West invented the idea of so-called "human rights" and so they discard it as well. Learn from Thailand on this one and get rid of these people while you still can.

You seem to totally misunderstand the issues here.  1) You're apparently unaware that Thailand already has a large indigenous Muslim population.  2) The issue wasn't whether or not Thailand would grant them residency -- they wouldn't -- but to send them to a country that would accept them -- several offered.  3) Thailand has signed international agreements that prevent this -- it's called "refoulement."  Stupid word but there it is.  4)  The larger question of malign Chinese influence hangs over this -- Thailand has tons of refugees from all over the world (e.g. lots of Pakistani Christians, Burmese) but why are these few Uighurs suddenly a problem?  5) You parrot Russian/Chinese propaganda on your human rights comment.

[Daniel 2]

Don't deport these people, send Uyghurs to US, Canada, Australia UK and Europe .... so these Uyghurs can flourish West. 

[Dan O]

1 hour ago, Jonathan Swift said:

I speculate of course, but someone got paid to do this, or Thailand is afraid of China for any number of reasons. China may have threatened Thailand with economic sanctions or some similar economic blackmail. Or the Chinese government may have personally threatened individuals and families. They have spies running all around the US for example, and have kidnapped people there. Pretty disgusting. 

There was actually a memo from one of the Thai diplomats that discussed the need to deport them and only return them to China in order to not offend the Chinese govt per their request. It was posted on line in a news story earlier this week.

[connda]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand has deported 48 Uyghurs to China, turning down asylum offers from the US, Canada, and Australia. This decision, reported by Reuters, took place despite a decade-long detention period and concerns from UN human rights experts about the safety of these ethnic minorities.

The only way I make sense of this is if Thailand chose to deport them back to China in order to send a message that Thailand will never be a transit stop for Uyghurs thinking that if they can reach Thailand then they will find safe haven in the US, Canada, or AU. Which does make sense.
As everyone one of us who lives here knows, Thailand want nothing to do with those entering Thailand illegally whether they seek asylum or simply seek to live in this country illegally.

[wadman]

16 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

agree 100% Total lies from the begining  Thailand has shot its self in the foot big time !! shame on you

Keep licking your Chinese masters backsides Thailand. Shows your true colours to the world. A third world cesspool beholden to China. As for the Deputy PM he lies like a cheap carpet.

 

 

The reason why China wanted these Uyghurs deported back to China isn't because they are Uyghurs. It's because they are wanted for criminal charges in China. Like for setting off bombs in public places and the like.  They have pulled the same stunts in Thailand if they didn't get their way. 

[PeeJayEm]

17 hours ago, Purdey said:

Poor Thailand, always a balancing act.

Poor Thailand?  It's what happen when human values are thrown out of the window purely for self-interest.

[Iron Tongue]

40 minutes ago, Dan O said:

There was actually a memo from one of the Thai diplomats that discussed the need to deport them and only return them to China in order to not offend the Chinese govt per their request. It was posted on line in a news story earlier this week.

 

Notice that this time around, there are no Thai Pols claiming that the "Uyghurs asked to be returned to China!"

They finally figured-out that even professional liars couldn't pull that one off.

 

[klauskunkel]

Dear PM Shinawatra,

You and your partisan MPs did exactly what you always decry: You tarnished Thailand's reputation.

Congratulations on becoming a honorary taxi driver, Walking Street bouncer, RTP stooge...

[Sydebolle]

Possibly the silliest excuse if not an outrageous lie is Phumtham Wechayachai's statement. Did he expect a hand-written note by the American president or QE2/King Charles III on the subject?

Be honest and just admit that you followed the whistles of PR China. Thailand could have granted political asylum as well and, except a lot of cage rattling out of Beijing and consultations on ambassadorial levels ...... nothing else would have happened. 

The official Thailand should be ashamed of herself, a very poor loss of image in the 21st century 😞 

[JimHuaHin]

Is Thailand a Chinese province or a Chinese colony?

[MeRakThai]

6 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

I'm with Thailand on this one. Muslims can't be assimilated and are a problem waiting to happen. Those people pictured below are presumably citizens in some Western country that have the exact same rights as you do except the live in a parallel societies.

 

The West invented the idea of so-called "human rights" and so they discard it as well. Learn from Thailand on this one and get rid of these people while you still can.

 

Uyghurs have been in Xinjiang since at least the 9 century. They have not "assimilated" they were there for centuries. A uyghur friend has told me his brother doctor got 10 years jail for praying not in a government sanctioned mosque with an approved imam. That sound like assimilation?

[chilli42]

Clearly Taksin Sr’s doing.

[wensiensheng]

22 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Again of proof of the many lies of this Government... New elections are needed

New elections for what? You do know what happened last time don’t you?

[ChicagoExpat]

4 hours ago, wadman said:

 

The reason why China wanted these Uyghurs deported back to China isn't because they are Uyghurs. It's because they are wanted for criminal charges in China. Like for setting off bombs in public places and the like.  They have pulled the same stunts in Thailand if they didn't get their way. 

Really?  China waited years to try and have terrorists -- who have been in custody for more than a decade -- returned to them?  You really believe these were criminals and terrorists?  No, you know they weren't.  What made them "criminals" was embarrassing the CCP.

 

If they were criminals, why was Chinese state TV showing them arrived home, unarrested, in reunions with family members?

 

Come on.

[UserC923]

Anyone who comes out to condemn Thailand should take care of the Burmese and Cambodians in Thailand.

[spidermike007]

Moral bankruptcy can manifest itself on many different levels, however you know it when you see it, and there is absolutely no question that the current administration possesses it to an alarming degree. The same can be said about the Thai army for many decades now. 

 

Unless and until the youth are allowed to establish power when they are democratically elected, this nation will continue to march backwards at a rather brisk pace. 

[harryviking]

On 3/5/2025 at 4:12 PM, snoop1130 said:

Picture courtesy of News Statesman

 

Thailand has deported 48 Uyghurs to China, turning down asylum offers from the US, Canada, and Australia. This decision, reported by Reuters, took place despite a decade-long detention period and concerns from UN human rights experts about the safety of these ethnic minorities.

 

Thailand's government has defended the move, claiming it was legal and aligned with their human rights policies. However, organizations have long criticized China for its treatment of Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic group primarily residing in Xinjiang, numbering about 10 million.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai stated no clear resettlement offers from Western countries were received. He said, "We waited for more than 10 years, and I have spoken to many major countries, but no one told me for certain."

 

A US State Department official, who wished to remain unnamed, claimed that the US had actively worked with Thailand to address this issue. Sources from Canada and Australia also confirmed offers to resettle the Uyghurs had been made, though these were not made public due to fears of straining diplomatic relations with China.

 

 

While Thailand and China's foreign ministries have remained silent, Australia's Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, expressed disapproval of Thailand's action, warning of potential diplomatic fallout.

 

China's embassy in Bangkok called the deportees 40 "illegal migrants," stating they have now been reunited with their families. Five Uyghurs remain in Thai prisons due to legal challenges, while the status of three others is uncertain.

 

Former Thai ambassador Pisan Manawapat confirmed multiple offers from other nations to take in the detainees but cited China's influence as a critical deterrent, saying, "We didn’t want to upset China."

 

Thailand’s consideration for deportation relied heavily on China's promises to allow Thai officials to monitor the well-being of the Uyghurs after their return.

 

Picture courtesy of Institute for European, Russian,, and Eurasian Studies

 

UN experts cautioned about the potential for torture or worse, criticizing Thailand's handling of the situation. The UN refugee agency highlighted its lack of access to assess the Uyghurs' asylum claims, leaving them trapped in detention without options.

 

To provide context, Xinjiang was designated an autonomous region in 1955 but remains tightly controlled by the Chinese central government. Development initiatives since the 1990s have escalated cultural tensions between Uyghurs and the Han Chinese, who have increasingly settled in the region.

 

The Chinese government defends its policies in Xinjiang as necessary to counter extremism and spur economic growth. It rejects accusations of genocide as politically driven and without credible evidence, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-03-05

 

 

Thailand: COWARDS!!!😫

[wadman]

3 hours ago, ChicagoExpat said:

Really?  China waited years to try and have terrorists -- who have been in custody for more than a decade -- returned to them?  You really believe these were criminals and terrorists?  No, you know they weren't.  What made them "criminals" was embarrassing the CCP.

 

If they were criminals, why was Chinese state TV showing them arrived home, unarrested, in reunions with family members?

 

Come on.

 

Think of this logically: why would China give a hoot if perfectly innocent Uyghurs want to leave China permanently and go to Thailand (or whatever country)?  It would a case of good riddance!

 

And if they are completely innocent, what reason would they even give to Thailand for seeking asylum?

 

You come on.