National rights body to host meeting on Uighurs expulsion

Commissioner Niran Pitakwatchara said yesterday that his office has called a meeting on the issue on Friday with the National Council  for Peace and Order, Foreign Ministry, Immigration Police as well as the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and Human Rights Watch. Domestic and international rights experts are also invited.

The NHRC wants to hear from the government why it expelled the migrants and from the non-governmental agencies their objections.

Many countries and local civil sectors have criticised Thailand for repatriating 109 Uighur Muslims to China, as they believe that the Uighurs would face prosecution or punishment by death. 

However, China’s official Xinhua agency has said the Uighurs had been on their way “to join jihad”, and that 13 of them had fled China after being implicated in terrorist activities. 

Two more had escaped detention, Xinhua said. 

A Chinese police investigation had uncovered several gangs recruiting people for jihad, and Turkish diplomats in some Southeast Asian countries had facilitated the illegal movement of people, it said. Hundreds of angry Turkish protesters stormed the Thai honorary consulate in Istanbul and destroyed the office. The Turkish government stopped short of condemning the attack but deplored Thailand for the deportation.

China’s CCTV news channel over the weekend showed footage of the Uighurs being escorted on a plane back to China. The migrants were handcuffed and hooded to prevent their faces from being seen. The images caused outrage from many groups. 

The Thai government has called for understanding from all sides, saying all procedures followed international norms. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, a deputy government spokesman, said that when evidence was uncovered that an illegal migrant found on Thai soil had committed crimes in another country and his nationality has been identified, Thailand has no other choice but to send the person back to his country of origin.

It was crucial to respect domestic and international laws. The discontent would subside when all sides based their arguments on reason, he said.

Referring to the CCTV footage, Veerachon Sukhontapatipak, another deputy government spokesman, said it was important to understand that in such circumstances it was necessary to have strict control in order to ensure security on board the aircraft. 

“Some of them were even linked to terrorist organisations.” 

China had reaffirmed that it would give fair treatment to all concerned and those who were not involved with terrorism, he said. 

Somchai Sawangkarn, deputy chairman of the National Legislative Assembly’s foreign affairs committee, recommended that the Chularatchamontri, Thailand’s Muslim spiritual leader, be consulted on the case.

The United States and the UNHCR never complained when Thailand sent 176 Uighurs to Turkey, he said.

“It was only since Thailand sent 109 Uighurs – some believed to be terrorists in Xinjiang – out of Thailand that a mob attacked the Thai consulate in Istanbul,” he said. 

It was strange that no police or security officers were present at the time of the attack, he said.

“Turkey’s government should apologise for having let the mob damage the Thai office, but instead it issued a statement blaming Thailand,” he argued. 

Ankara knew well that the group of people was sent back to China at the request of China’s government according to an extradition treaty. They were returned for prosecution as they were suspected of causing misfortune, he said.