Thailand deports 40 Uyghurs to China

Details about Thailand's deportation of 40 Uyghur detainees to China after nearly 11 years in detention:

KEY DEVELOPMENTS:

Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai confirmed the deportation, claiming Thailand received assurances from China that the Uyghurs "would be looked after."

The deportation process began with detention vans (windows covered with black tape) leaving Bangkok's immigration detention center around 2 am Thursday

A China Southern Airlines flight landed in Bangkok from Kashgar (Xinjiang) Wednesday night, then departed at 4:48am Thursday with an "unspecified" destination but landed in Kashgar six hours later

Human rights organizations strongly condemned the action:

Phil Robertson (Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates) called it "unthinkable" and suggested Thailand should resign from the UN Human Rights Council

Human Rights Watch stated it violated Thailand's domestic and international legal obligations

BACKGROUND ON THE DETAINEES:

The deported Uyghurs were part of approximately 350 people arrested near the Malaysia border in March 2014

In July 2015, about 170 women and children from this group were released to Turkey, while 109 (mostly men) were deported to China with their current whereabouts unknown

Five detainees are serving prison sentences for a 2020 escape attempt, and five others died in detention (including two children)

The remaining Uyghurs were held in what activists describe as poor conditions, barred from contacting families or lawyers

POLITICAL CONTEXT:

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra recently visited China but claimed she hadn't looked into details of the deportation

Thailand's national police chief declined to discuss the matter, citing "national security."

People's Party MP Rangsiman Rome warned this could damage international trust in Thailand and strain US-Thai relations

The international law prohibits returning people to countries where they may face torture or persecution.