Thailand is under renewed pressure over its treatment of Uyghur men after authorities forcibly deported 40 members of the mostly Muslim minority to China last year. Two more Uyghurs now face possible deportation, and activists warn that returning them would place both men in grave danger.
The 40 men were sent back despite pleas from the men themselves and from the United Nations. The UN says the whereabouts of those 40 returnees remain unknown, a fact that has deepened concern among rights groups about what has happened to them since they left Thailand. Human Rights Watch has urged Thailand not to return the two men now at risk of removal, arguing that the earlier deportations should serve as a warning rather than a precedent.
One of the two men has said that, if sent back, he would be treated “like a slave” in China. His fear reflects a wider body of reporting that cites torture and abuse of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim groups in China, allegations that Beijing has not accepted. The men's advocates argue that these reports make any return a serious threat to their safety, and that the Thai government has a duty to examine the risks before acting.
The United States and Canada have reportedly offered to resettle the Uyghur men in third countries, an option that would allow them to leave Thailand without being sent to China. Bangkok is said to be reluctant to upset Beijing over the case, a sensitivity that has shaped the government's handling of the issue so far. It is unclear whether Thai officials will accept the resettlement offers or give way to Chinese pressure.
Commentators say the case is a test for Prime Minister Anutin, who must weigh relations with a major regional partner against international calls to protect vulnerable people from being returned to a country where they may face persecution. The outcome will show whether Thailand is prepared to hold to its obligations under pressure, and whether the third-country resettlement will go ahead for the two men.