The forced returns of 40 Uyghurs from Thailand back to China this week was nothing short of a PR disaster for Thailand. Criticisms and condemnations from western nations and even the UNHCR rained down on the Paetongtarn Shinawatra administration over the past few days. The Thai government was basically accused of sending these people back to prison, torture, if not death.
Even if you do not give much credit to Trump’s USA and its quickly diminishing international standing, when was the last time the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, last publicly condemned Thailand ?
“This is a clear violation of the principle of non-refoulement and the Royal Thai Government’s obligations under international law,” UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela was quoted as saying in a statement on February 27. “UNHCR calls on the Royal Thai Government to put an end to the forced return of individuals from Thailand.”
This was followed by warnings issued by both the US and Japan for their citizens in Thailand to be vigilant in anticipation of a possible revenge terror attack by some Muslim extremists. Thai police then beefed up security at key tourist and Chinese-related spots in Bangkok yesterday evening. As I type these words on Sunday, it’s unclear if there will be a significant impact on Thailand’s tourism industry.
One couldn’t help but wonder: what was the trade off with China? And was the deal worth it?
Coming under fire, PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Friday admitted that Beijing made a request to have the 40 people returned during her visit to Beijing in early February to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping but denied there was any deal. On Friday, a senior executive at TikTok, the Chinese social media app giant which has ties to the Chinese Communist Party, met with the Thai PM at the Government House and announced a 3 billion baht investment in Thailand over the period of five years.
Perhaps it was just a timing coincidence. Perhaps deporting these Uygurs back to China was already on the to-do list so Paetongtarn could meet and greet the Chinese leader for a photo op? Some locals suggest that ex-convict-cum-former-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the PM’s father, is chummy with senior Chinese officials, and Thaksin fled first to Beijing to evade the Thai justice system back in 2008. So perhaps this is returning favour to China, or China’s soft power at work?
I will give the benefit of the doubt to both the PM and Thaksin.
Today, the Foreign Ministry reiterates that contrary to claims made by some, no foreign nation has expressed interest in offering the 40 Uyghurs asylum before they were deported back to China. Nevertheless, that Thailand didn’t publicly ask other nations if they could take the 40, and was unable to resist China’s “request”, demonstrate how weak Thailand has become weak vis-a-vis China.
Even if there was no deal, it’s clear Thailand has suffered a PR disaster in the eyes of the international community as a result, not to mention a potential blow to the tourism industry. Disregarding possible secret deal, and disregard of the concerns for the possible safety, wellbeing and future of the 40 Uyghurs, it’s clear that the Thai government made the wrong move.
It diminishes Thailand’s international standing, and for some Thais, a wakeup call that perhaps the Paetongtarn administration has become too subservient to China, and risks turning Thailand into a satellite state of the Middle Kingdom. The fears have been around for years now and the latest development was just another reason to be more alarmed.
In the worst case scenario, these Uyghurs will soon face harsh punishment, long prison term, if not execution, after the international media’s spotlight dies down. On the other hand, the Chinese government may want to use them as a living propaganda tool to display to the world that the CCP is indeed merciful. Or if you believe the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, they will simply return to lead a “normal life” in Xinjiang – a happy ending, basically.
Opposition MP Kannavee Suebsaeng released three letters purported to be hand written by Uyghurs who have been detained in Thailand for 11 years. Clearly, they feel that even the detention under the Thai Immigration Police, dirty and crowded as it is infamously known, was better than going back to China, however.
A letter by IDC43 Uyghurs in English to PM Paetongtarn stated:
“[We] humbly ask you to help us to go to any country where we can start a new and happy life with our family.”
Another letter stated clearly that “We will be imprisoned or killed, and also our family.”
Again, the Chinese Embassy insists they are back in China to lead a normal life.
However, these people were transported out of the Thai immigration detention centre, inside six vans, with all windows covered with black tapes and police signs concealed, at 2am, with no other vehicles allowed to follow. This was not a normal way of transporting people to the airport to fly back to China to lead a normal life.
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