Washington DC [US] February 6 : US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee Chairwoman Young Kim have urged the Thai government to reevaluate its decision to deport 48 Uyghur refugees who are currently in Thai detention.
The politicians voiced their grave worry over the impending deportation in a letter to Suriya Chindawongse, the Thai ambassador to the United States, cautioning that sending these people back to China would subject them to harsh persecution, torture, and potentially even death.
According to the post shared by Human Rights Activist Phil Robertson on X, more than ten years ago, the 48 Uyghurs left China in search of safety from what the letter characterized as the Chinese Communist Party's continuous campaign of genocide against Uyghurs because of their political views, traditional customs, and religious beliefs.
The parliamentarians drew attention to China's oppressive practices in Xinjiang, which include the destruction of Uyghur cultural heritage, mass surveillance, forced labour, forced sterilizations, and arbitrary incarceration in so-called "re-education" camps. They pointed out that many Uyghurs have been unable to live freely as a result of these circumstances, according to the post.
These 48 refugees have been detained by Thailand for more than 11 years, yet their circumstances have not improved. The MPs emphasized that they are still in a protracted legal limbo with no clear path forward or assurance of their future. They denounced their treatment as a transgression of international norms and a betrayal of Thailand's longstanding humanitarian values as cited by the post shared on X.
The Uyghur Labor Prevention Act, a US legislation that holds China responsible for its use of forced labor regarding Uyghur captives, was another point Mast and Kim brought up as mentioned in the post. They emphasized that sending the 48 migrants to China would be a clear violation of this law and expose them to more mistreatment and exploitation.
The legislators pleaded with the Thai government to stop the deportation and provide the 48 Uyghurs the chance to relocate to a third nation where they can live in safety and respect. They stressed that such a decision would improve the US-Thailand friendship in addition to protecting the refugees, the post cited.
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