Thailand deports dozens of Uyghurs detained over a decade to China

Taipei: A group of Uyghur men detained in Thailand for more than a decade have been deported to China, the Chinese embassy in Thailand confirmed Thursday.

The men, last month, made a public appeal to halt the deportation, saying they faced imprisonment and possible death in China. In a statement on Facebook, the Chinese embassy said Thursday that 40 Chinese nationals who entered Thailand illegally were deported to China’s northwestern Xinjiang province by a chartered flight on Thursday. It said the men had been detained in Thailand for more than 10 years due to “complicated international factors.”

On Wednesday, Thai lawmakers, activists, and lawyers raised an alarm about the possible deportation of the men. Several Thai lawmakers and international officials had urged the Thai government to halt the deportation, warning it would amount to a serious rights abuse. “The Uyghurs must not be returned to face persecution. They have been held in detention for 11 years,” said a Thai lawmaker.