Decision to deport Uyghurs made by three ministers: Phumtham

Justice and Foreign Affairs ministers also involved in decision to repatriate Uyghurs, says Defence ministry, urging everyone to move on

Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai on Tuesday revealed that Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong, Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa and he were behind the government’s decision to repatriate 40 Uyghurs to China.

“We made this decision after China confirmed in writing that the repatriated individuals would not face charges or torture in China,” Phumtham, also a Deputy Prime Minister, said.

He added that the government had contacted the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) to take these Uyghurs but received no confirmation. For its part, Turkey had replied that they would only accept children, women and elderly Uyghurs.

“Thailand had only two choices: Send them back to the country of origin, or to a third country that is willing to accept them. We waited 11 years and no countries offered to take them in,” he said.

'The 40 Uyghurs had spent more than a decade in detention after illegally entering Thailand. They were repatriated on February 27 via a chartered flight operated by a Chinese civil aviation company that landed in Xinjiang, China.

A few days after their arrival, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand posted photos of 40 repatriated individuals joining their families in Xinjiang for the first time. The embassy however did not mention their Uyghur ethnicity.

Phumtham added that he and Tawee would travel to China on March 18 to personally check on the wellbeing of the repatriated individuals.

Referring to Fair Party MP Kannavee Suebsang’s insistence that the letters he claimed were written by Uyghur refugees saying that they were unwilling to return to China, Phumtham said: “It is evident that everyone is now safe in China. Please move on from this issue.”

(2025/03/05-00:00)