US and Canada Offered to Resettle Uyghurs Deported by Thailand to China

US and Canada Offered to Resettle Uyghurs Detained in Thailand, But Majority Deported to China

Bangkok, March 5, 2025 – Sources have revealed that the United States and Canada offered to resettle 48 Uyghurs who had been arbitrarily detained in Thailand for over a decade. However, the Thai government refrained from acting on these offers, reportedly due to concerns over upsetting China. Despite these proposals—and repeated international warnings—the majority of the group was forcibly deported to China on February 27, 2025, in a covert pre-dawn operation, according to a news first reported by Reuters.

A U.S. State Department official confirmed that Washington had worked with Thailand for years to prevent this outcome. “The United States consistently and repeatedly offered to resettle the Uyghurs in other countries, including at one point, the United States itself,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Canada also extended an offer to grant asylum to the detainees, according to multiple sources, including diplomats and individuals with direct knowledge. Reports indicated that Australia had made a similar offer. These resettlement efforts were ultimately disregarded by the Thai government, reportedly over concerns about diplomatic and economic repercussions with China. Former Thai ambassador and senator Pisan Manawapat acknowledged that at least three countries had approached Thailand with resettlement proposals but admitted, “We didn’t want to upset China, so we did not make the decision at the political level to go through with this.”

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai initially stated that no country had made a “concrete” offer. This was contradicted by multiple reports, including Reuters and statements from Thai officials who later acknowledged such proposals existed, though deemed “unrealistic” to avoid Chinese retaliation. Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Russ Jalichandra confirmed some countries had offered resettlement but claimed it would not shield Thailand from fallout with Beijing.

The deportees were part of a larger group of approximately 300 Uyghurs (mostly men) apprehended by Thai authorities in March 2014 while fleeing persecution in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In July 2015, Thailand deported 109 Uyghur men to China, hooded and shackled, while releasing about 170 women and children to Türkiye. The remaining men endured over 10 years of arbitrary detention in poor conditions, with reports of at least three to five deaths in custody due to untreated health issues—including diabetes, kidney problems, paralysis, and heart or lung conditions among 23 of the men.

Of the 48 remaining Uyghurs by early 2025, 40 were deported to China on February 27 via an unscheduled China Southern Airlines flight from Don Mueang Airport, after being transported in sealed trucks under cover of night. Five remain imprisoned in Thailand due to an ongoing criminal case. The whereabouts of the remaining three were initially unconfirmed, though later reports suggested some may have been quietly resettled, including three in Canada using Kyrgyz passports in April 2025.

China’s foreign ministry defended the deportation, claiming it was conducted in accordance with Chinese, Thai, and international law, and that the returnees were “Chinese nationals who were illegal migrants” whose “legitimate rights are fully protected.” These claims have been widely disputed.

The forced deportation drew sharp international condemnation:

• UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk described it as a “clear violation of international human rights laws and standards,” breaching the principle of non-refoulement.
• The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) was repeatedly denied access to the detainees, preventing asylum processing.
• UN experts had warned in January 2025 that return to China risked torture, ill-treatment, or “irreparable harm.”
• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the action in the “strongest possible terms,” later imposing visa sanctions on Thai officials complicit in the deportations (announced March 14, 2025).
• The European Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and others described the deportation as “unimaginably cruel” and a betrayal of asylum protections.
• Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her government “strongly disagrees” with Thailand’s actions.

Human rights organizations continue to highlight Beijing’s systematic oppression of Uyghurs—including mass detention, forced labor, torture, and cultural erasure in Uyghur region—all of which China denies.

Thailand’s decision, despite its obligations under international law and as a Human Rights Council member, has drawn widespread criticism. International organizations, including the UN, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and multiple governments, have condemned the deportation and expressed concern for the safety of the returnees and the remaining Uyghurs in detention.