Sources reveal that the United States and Canada offered to resettle 48 Uyghurs who had been detained in Thailand for over a decade. However, Bangkok allegedly refrained from acting on these offers due to fears of upsetting China. Despite these proposals, most of the Uyghurs were forcibly deported to China last week in a covert operation.
A U.S. State Department official confirmed that Washington had been working with Thailand for years to prevent such an 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 stated, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Canada also extended an offer to grant asylum to the Uyghur detainees, according to multiple sources, including diplomats and individuals with direct knowledge of the matter. Additionally, two sources indicated that Australia had also made a similar offer. However, these resettlement efforts were ultimately disregarded by the Thai government, reportedly due to concerns over its diplomatic and economic ties with China.
China’s foreign ministry defended the deportation, claiming it was conducted in accordance with Chinese, Thai, and international law. “The repatriated were Chinese nationals who were illegal migrants. Their legitimate rights are fully protected,” the ministry asserted.
The decision to deport the Uyghurs has sparked international condemnation. The Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong publicly stated that her government “strongly disagrees” with Thailand’s actions. Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency disclosed that it was repeatedly denied access to the detained Uyghurs by Thai authorities, which prevented them from being processed as asylum seekers and consequently stalled their resettlement prospects.
Of the 48 Uyghurs, 40 were deported to China last week, while five remain imprisoned in Thailand due to an ongoing criminal case. The whereabouts of the remaining three individuals remain unconfirmed.
Pisan Manawapat, Thailand’s former ambassador to Canada and the U.S., as well as a senator until his retirement in 2024, acknowledged that at least three countries had approached Thailand with resettlement offers. However, he 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, who was not in government for much of the period in question, stated on Monday that no country had made a “concrete” offer to resettle the Uyghurs. However, his statement contradicts multiple reports and sources that indicate otherwise.
The forced deportation comes despite repeated warnings from UN human rights experts that the Uyghurs would face severe persecution, including torture and “irreparable harm,” if sent back to China. Human rights organizations accuse Beijing of conducting systematic oppression against Uyghurs in Uyghur homeland, facts that China continues to deny. The decision by Thailand to proceed with the deportation has raised serious concerns over its commitment to human rights and international asylum protections.
