MP challenges Thai govt over Uyghur deportation after plea for help

Fair Party MP asks how the government can claim the group of 40 Uyghur men left willingly when there have been several pleas for help

Fair Party MP Kannavee Suebsang revealed a letter to the media in Parliament on Tuesday that he said had been written by one of the Uyghur refugees Thailand deported recently. 

The letter, addressed to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, pleads for assistance for the refugees, who spent nearly 11 years in detention in Thailand, expressing their unwillingness to return to China. 

Previous reports claimed that three such letters had been sent to the UNHCR and the Thai PM between 2024 and early 2025, though the Department of Corrections denied the existence of such missives. 

Kannavee, however, said that the authenticity of the letter is secondary to concerns about the forced repatriation of the refugees to China, questioning whether third countries had indeed refused to accept them. He noted that the letter was written on prison-issued paper, sold in detention facilities at 1 baht per sheet. 

He added that he had obtained the letter from the Immigration Detention Centre in Suan Phlu, where the refugees were detained, insisting that it was authored by a former Uyghur detainee. 

He also revealed that seven of the Uyghur refugees were previously held in a Thai prison. However, after two were released, they were transferred to the Immigration Detention Centre in Suan Phlu. The letter, dated November 15, 2024, describes the refugees’ decade-long separation from their families, drawing a parallel to Paetongtarn’s recent reunion with her father, in hopes that she would help reunite them with their loved ones.  

Kannavee urged the government to provide concrete evidence proving that the Uyghur refugees had voluntarily agreed to return to China. 

“If the government has any evidence confirming their willingness to return, then it should be made public to reassure both Thai citizens and the international community that Thailand is not forcing people into potential persecution,” he stated.

He also said that Thailand should be prepared to face international scrutiny, posing the question: “If we are questioned, will we have an answer?”

Recently, Thailand deported 40 Uyghur men back to China after they had spent more than a decade in detention for illegally entering the country. The government claimed that no third country had offered to take them in and that China had assured their safety. It also claimed that the individuals voluntarily agreed to return home. However, this action has drawn international criticism and raised concerns about the potential risks these individuals may face upon their return to China.

(2025/03/04-00:00)