EU Parliament condemns Thailand's deportation of 40 Uyghurs to China

Brussels [Belgium], March 14 (ANI): The European Parliament has issued a resolution condemning Thailand for deporting 40 Uyghurs back to China, stating that the action violated international law, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA).

The resolution stated that the deported Uyghurs, sent back on the night of February 27, face the risk of "arbitrary detention, torture, and severe human rights abuses" and noted that other nations had offered to accept the refugees, RFA reported.

The 40 Uyghurs had been detained in Bangkok's Immigration Detention Center for over a decade. They had arrived in Thailand in 2014 as part of a larger group fleeing China.

According to accounts from Uyghurs who previously attempted to escape China, it is highly likely that the deported individuals faced punishment.

Radio Free Asia recently confirmed with police that two Uyghurs, Memet Awut and Turdi Abla, who had planned to escape China in 2014 but later abandoned their plans and returned to Xinjiang, were arrested and sentenced to nine years in prison.

The two men, from Aksu in western Xinjiang, had traveled to China's southern Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos, intending to flee the country. However, they returned after realising that attempting to escape would endanger their lives.

According to RFA, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok stated that after being reunited with their families, the 40 Uyghur deportees would undergo a period of "vocational skills training."

The Chinese government has detained nearly 2 million Uyghurs in camps in Xinjiang, where they are subjected to forced labor. Beijing, however, asserts that these camps are vocational centers where "students" voluntarily acquire new skills.

While the EU resolution condemning the deportation did not directly mention the camps, it urged China to respect the rights of those returned and to "ensure transparency regarding their locations."

RFA reported that the resolution also recognised Thailand as an important EU partner and encouraged Bangkok to "strengthen its institutions in accordance with democratic principles and international human rights standards." (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)