Bangkok — The United States and Canada had offered to resettle 48 ethnic Uyghurs who had been held in Thai detention for a decade, but Thai authorities did not act on these offers, sources told Reuters. The group was covertly deported to China last week, despite warnings from United Nations (UN) human rights experts.
Thailand has defended the deportation, maintaining that it adhered to legal procedures and human rights obligations. However, the move has drawn criticism from human rights organizations, which accuse China of widespread abuses against Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority in the Xinjiang region. Beijing denies any mistreatment.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai stated on Monday, March 5, that no country had made a firm commitment to resettle the detained Uyghurs. “We waited for more than 10 years, and I have spoken to many major countries, but no one told me for certain,” he told reporters. Phumtham was not in government between 2006 and mid-2023.
An official from the US State Department confirmed that Washington had offered to take in the Uyghurs and had been working with Thailand for years to prevent deportation. “The US has consistently and repeatedly offered to resettle the Uyghurs in other countries, including, at one point, the US,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Canada had also proposed asylum for the detainees, according to four sources, including diplomats and individuals with direct knowledge of the matter. Two of those sources noted that Australia had also made an offer. However, these proposals were not acted upon due to concerns in Thailand about potential diplomatic repercussions with China.
The Thai and Chinese foreign ministries have not responded to requests for comment. Canada’s immigration ministry declined to discuss individual cases. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade referred to a statement by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who expressed strong disagreement with Thailand’s decision.
China’s embassy in Bangkok described the deportees as “Chinese illegal migrants” and stated that 40 individuals had returned home to reunite with their families after more than a decade of separation. Besides those deported, five remain imprisoned in Thailand due to an ongoing criminal case, while the whereabouts of three others remain unconfirmed.
Pisan Manawapat, a former Thai ambassador to Canada and the US from 2013 to 2017 and a senator until his retirement in 2024, confirmed that multiple countries had approached Thailand with resettlement proposals. “We didn’t want to upset China,” he told Reuters, without disclosing further details.
China is Thailand’s largest trading partner, and the two nations maintain strong economic ties. Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham stated that Thailand proceeded with the deportation only after receiving assurances from Beijing that Thai officials would be allowed to monitor the well-being of the returned Uyghurs.
UN human rights experts had warned that the deported individuals faced a risk of torture, ill-treatment, and “irreparable harm” in China. The UN refugee agency stated that Thai authorities repeatedly denied it access to the Uyghurs, preventing their formal recognition as asylum seekers and ultimately stalling their potential resettlement.
