Groups warn on deportation of two Uyghurs - Bangkok Post

Human rights groups have called on the government to uphold the principle of non-refoulement and respect the wishes of two Uyghur refugees seeking resettlement in a third country. The call was made on Saturday by the Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons (CRSP), the Migrant Working Group (MWG) and the Thailand Migration Reform Consortium (TMR).

The Uyghur refugees have been detained in Thailand since 2014, one of them since childhood. Following a royal pardon, authorities moved both from prison to the Immigration Bureau's Suan Phlu detention centre on Oct 21, where they await deportation. Both have told their legal representatives they do not want to return to China. Since the transfer, their lawyers have not been allowed to see them.

Last Tuesday, only days after the two were moved to the detention centre, the Chinese ambassador to Thailand met the secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC), the groups said.

"Our networks are therefore deeply concerned that the two refugees face a real risk of forced return. We are concerned that an upcoming meeting of the NSC may include an agenda item to decide the fate of these Uyghur refugees," they said in a joint statement.