By 
Worawan Klinsawai
Raindrops on Airport Window by Ivan Vi, 11 June 2024
In February 2025, Thai authorities deported at least 40 Uyghurs to Xinjiang, where the Chinese government is alleged to have culturally and politically suppressed the minority group. This decision has raised criticisms across the international community about whether Thailand has violated the principle of non-refoulement.
On February 27th 2025, Thai authorities deported at least 40 Uyghurs to Xinjiang, a Northwestern region in China, where they were faced with the risk of persecution. This action raised stark criticisms from Western countries, international organisations, and human rights activists, accusing Thailand of violating the principle of non-refoulement that prohibits the forced return of people to where they could be subject to serious harm such as torture. In response, the Thai government sent a delegation led by senior cabinet ministers to ensure their safety upon return.
Since 2014, many Uyghurs have fled China following the alleged government crackdown on separatist groups and suppression of their cultural identity. More than 300 Uyghurs fled to Thailand with the hope of continuing their journey to Türkiye and beyond to other countries. However, they were detained in an immigration detention centre in Bangkok for entry without a visa. In 2015, Thailand sent 170 Uyghurs to Türkiye, with 100 of them being deported to China without any justification. After ten years, China submitted a formal request for the repatriation of the remaining group in January 2025, while Western countries urged Thailand to consider Uyghur resettlement in other countries.
The deportation of Uyghur minorities has become politicised, trapping Thailand in the middle of a political debate between two major powers, the United States and its allies versus China. Taking any actions would dissatisfy either side. The situations at home and abroad did not provide Thailand enough leverage in its negotiation with China regarding the Uyghurs.
Despite Thailand’s capacity to protect refugees, the Thai government only launched a National Screening Mechanism (NSM) to assess the eligibility of irregular migrants as “protected persons” in 2023. Due to the NSM’s prematurity, refugees in Thailand relied heavily on support from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which themselves depended on foreign development aid. The recent suspension of funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has severely disrupted their humanitarian efforts. As a result, Thailand has been left with few viable options.
In principle, the Uyghurs should not have been deported to Xinjiang because there is no guarantee of their long-term safety. However, condemning Thailand alone would not contribute to meaningful progress in refugees’ protection, including the Uyghurs. The way forward should involve collaborative support from the international community to Thailand’s development of the NSM and integration process, the existing humanitarian programme of local NGOs, and a concrete procedure for resettlement in third countries.
Sources and Further Readings:
Bicker, L., & Armstrong, K. (2025, February 27). Thailand deports dozens of Uyghurs to China. Retrieved March 24, 2025, from BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c14jjxz8re6o.
Duke, R. (2025, March 18). US aid cuts are a soft power surrender to China. Retrieved March 26, 2025, from The Interpreter: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/us-aid-cuts-are-soft-power-surrender-china.
Head, J. (2025, January 20). ‘Hell on earth’: China deportation looms for Uyghurs held in Thailand. Retrieved March 24, 2025, from BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ye63grvyko.
Kang, D., Wu, H., & Saksornchai, J. (2025, March 24). Thai officials secretly planned to deport Uyghurs while making repeated public denials. Retrieved March 25, 2025, from AP: https://apnews.com/article/thailand-uyghur-deportation-china-xinjiang-162435b1c864e905313455a97ed77f1f.
Mcpherson, P., & Smith, J. (2025, February 11). U.S aid freeze risks handing influence to China in Beijing’s backyard. Retrieved March 26, 2025, from Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-aid-freeze-risks-handing-influence-china-beijings-backyard-2025-02-11/.
Reuters. (2025, March 19). Thai delegation visits Uyghurs, seeking to quell fears of mistreatment in China. Retrieved March 25, 2025, from Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-delegation-visits-uyghurs-seeking-quell-fears-mistreatment-china-2025-03-19/.
UNHCR. (n.d.). Asylum in Thailand. Retrieved from UNHCR: https://help.unhcr.org/thailand/asylum/#:~:text=Before%20you%20come%20to%20Thailand,receiving%20and%20processing%20asylum%20applications.
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