Chicago – March 25, 2025
In late February, representatives of a Thai Muslim organization brought a reassuring message to 40 Uyghur men terrified they were going to be sent back to China: The government had no immediate plans to deport them.
Less than 72 hours later, the men were on a plane bound for China’s far west Xinjiang region, where U.N. experts say they could face torture or other punishment.
Thailand decided to deport the men more than a month earlier, while denying plans to do so to the public, lawmakers and Muslim religious leaders until almost the very end, according to testimony from parliamentary inquiries, interviews, meeting notes and voice messages. That gave the detainees and their advocates no chance to make a last-ditch appeal before they were bundled off and sent back to China.
Now, the Thai government is dealing with the fallout of a move that outraged human right activists and allies. The decision is at the heart of Thai parliamentary inquiries and a diplomatic riftbetween Thailand and its biggest military ally. The United States has imposed sanctions on multiple Thai officials while the European Union and other allies issued condemnations.
Thai officials visited Xinjiang last week to meet some of the deported Uyghurs and said they are being treated well. They have also said the men returned voluntarily, despite evidence to the contrary.
