# 2025 deportation of Uyghurs in Thailand

On 27 February 2025, the Thai government deported 40 male Uyghur asylum seekers to China. This was the first instance of Thailand deporting Uyghurs to China since 2015.

## Background

The 40 men had been detained in Thailand for over a decade, among a group of over 300 people arrested in 2014 that had fled China to Thailand. In 2015, over 100 of the group were deported to China, with the majority of the remaining asylum seekers sent to Turkey. 53 remained in Thailand, with five dying, including two children.
Among the remaining 48 Uyghurs, United Nations human rights experts asserted nearly half suffered from serious health conditions, including kidney dysfunction, diabetes, and lung and heart conditions. Of these 48, 5 are currently serving prison sentences for an earlier escape attempt, with the remaining 43 detained.

## Pre-deportation

On 8 January 2025, the 43 detainees were asked by Thai immigration officials to sign voluntary deportation papers. The detained men later made a public plea against their deportation, in a letter obtained by the Associated Press. The letter claimed the Thai Government was planning to deport them to China.
In January 2025, US Senator Marco Rubio pledged to press Thailand against deporting the 48 Uyghurs during his Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of State.

## Deportation

At around 2 AM on the morning of 27 February 2025, a convoy of trucks with black sheets covering windows left Bangkok's Immigration Detention Center in Soi Suan Phlu. The trucks traveled to Don Mueang International Airport, where an unscheduled China Southern Airlines flight left at 4:48 AM local time. The flight landed 6 hours later in Kashgar, Xinjiang.
The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok confirmed that 40 Chinese nationals who had entered Thailand illegally were deported by a chartered flight.
The deportation was confirmed by the Thai government on the evening of 27 February. Minister of Defense Phumtham Wechayachai commented that the Thai government had received assurances from China that the Uyghurs would be looked after, and that they were sent back in accordance with international standards.

## Reactions

The deportation was condemned by human rights groups, including Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described the deportation as "a clear violation of international human rights laws and standards".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the deportation in a statement. In March 2025, Rubio announced sanctions on Thai government officials and potential restrictions on family members of those sanctioned.
On 28 February 2025, the US and Japanese embassies in Bangkok issued security alerts following the deportation. The alerts cited previous deportations of Uyghurs as factors in the 2015 bombing of the Erawan Shrine, which killed 20.
Opposition lawmaker Kannavee Suebsang claimed Australia, the United States, and Sweden had offered to resettle the 48 Uyghurs prior to their deportation. An official for the US State Department confirmed the US had offered to resettle the asylum-seekers, along with Canadian government sources confirming Canada had offered resettlement. Thailand's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Russ Jalichandra, confirmed that other countries had offered resettlement, but noted that Thailand could face retaliation from China if the Uyghurs were sent to another country.