Two Uyghurs facing deportation from Thailand say they would be 'like slaves' in China
Rights groups warn Thailand may deport two more Uyghur men to China after they were moved to an immigration detention centre following a prison term. One of them has said he would be 'like a slave' if returned.
Two Uyghur men held in Thailand could be deported to China, human rights activists have warned. The Uyghurs are a largely Muslim Turkic minority from China's Xinjiang region, and the UN has condemned their treatment by Beijing as a potential crime against humanity. The two men were recently moved to an immigration detention centre, and rights groups fear Thai authorities may again yield to pressure from China.
Background
The men had served a seven-year prison sentence for offences linked to an attempted escape from immigration detention in January 2020. They belonged to a group of more than 200 Uyghur men, women and children detained by Thai police in 2014 near the Malaysian border after fleeing China. Since then, the women and children have been released to Turkey, while the men have been deported to China in separate batches, drawing criticism from the UN and US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
The girlfriend of one of the men, Marzeyya Kasem, who asked to be referred to by her Islamic alias, said he wants to go "anywhere else but China". In a letter written in July, he said he would be "like a slave" if sent back. She shared it with a Thai rights group.
Warrants and doubts
It is unclear whether China has submitted a formal extradition request. Chaipruak Doungprapat, head of Thailand's national security council, told reporters that the two men and three other Uyghurs still in prison have outstanding arrest warrants in China. Kasem questioned their credibility, noting her boyfriend was a minor when he left China, and asked why China did not issue an Interpol red notice in 2014. She believes Thailand, criticised over last year's mass deportation, is now seeking a more credible legal basis.
Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, urged that the men be allowed to travel to a safe third country. China's foreign ministry said cooperation with Thailand against cross-border crime is consistent with both countries' laws and international law. Thailand's foreign ministry declined to comment.
