Thai PM says rights must be followed, amid concern over Uyghurs

The situation regarding 48 Uyghurs who were detained in Thailand and may have been repatriated to China despite human rights concerns:

• UN human rights experts had urged Thailand not to send 48 Uyghurs back to China, warning of potential torture and harm
• China's Xinhua news agency reported that Thailand repatriated 40 Chinese who entered illegally, without specifying if they were Uyghurs
• Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra didn't confirm an extradition, stating only that Thailand would follow legal and human rights processes
• Early Thursday, trucks with covered windows were seen leaving the Bangkok immigration center where the Uyghurs were held
• An unscheduled China Southern Airlines flight departed Bangkok at 4:48am and landed in Kashgar, East Turkistan (Xinjiang).
• A Thai human rights group planned to petition a court for an inquiry on the status of the Uyghurs
• Xinhua claimed the 40 repatriated individuals had been "bewitched by criminal organizations" and their families requested their return
• The 48 Uyghurs were part of a larger group of 300 who fled China in 2014
• A Thai security official claimed the political leadership wanted to deport the Uyghurs despite warnings about security risks and human rights concerns
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The article notes that rights groups accuse China of widespread abuses against Uyghurs in East Turkistan (Xinjiang), which Beijing denies.