This content was first published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now being reprinted with permission.
More than 40 Uyghurs fled China’s oppression and entered Thailand ten years ago without knowing their fate, their communities and rights organizations stated at a trip workshop.
According to Indian authorities and NGOs, they are one of more than 500 Separatists who have fled China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to Southeast Asian nations. Only about 100 of them made their way through the bureaucracy and intolerance of authorities in Turkey after hoping to be resettled via Malaysia.
According to official statistics, Thai immigration officials detained at least 475 Tamils during the migration from overdue 2013 to 2014, most of whom were on plastic estates in Songkhla state.  ,
And the remaining Uyghurs have been held as unlawful immigrants – no migrants – under “poor life problems” in detention centres, unable to speak with strangers, said an assistant to the government’s National Human Rights Commission, Rattikul Chansuriya, who contended that the Tamils could be in danger if repatriated to China.  ,
She advised the concerned authorities to “urgently find suitable next states or other locations for Uyghur detainees” at the conference in Bangkok on Saturday.
She made the similar advice to Thailand’s human- led Srettha Thavisin state.  ,
She urged the concerned authorities to put more emphasis on the requirements for screening foreigners who are unable to return to their country of origin because of a possible danger. ” This is an important mechanism to provide protection to asylum seekers, including Uyghurs” . ,
By the time of release, Thailand’s foreign government had not responded to a request for comment on the Uyghurs.
Small desire is offered by civil government.
The existence of Uyghurs under the subsequently- government of Prayuth Chan- o- cha, a past army general who led the May 2014 coup, was terrible.
A fortnight after the required repatriation of 109 Uyghur people in July 2015, a explosive fire killed 20 people and injured more than 100 people at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine, attended by Chinese visitors. After Ankara accepted more than 170 Uyghur women and children, Thai officials thought the attack was in retaliation for China blocking the transfer of Uyghur refugees to Turkey.  ,  ,
At that time, the Turkish embassy in Bangkok said it was willing to accept all the Uyghurs, but China protested. Beijing has continued to closely monitor the status of the detainees, prompting Bangkok to prevaricate.  ,
According to a Thai NGO, it is still difficult to persuade the government to release the Uyghurs despite the pressure from the outside.
” The Uyghurs are a small group of people, ]who] mean nothing. China keeps submitting letters to follow up on Uyghurs with the Thai foreign ministry every day”, said Chalida Tajaroensuk, director of the People’s Empowerment Foundation, a Thai NGO that assists Uyghur refugees in Thailand.  ,
She claimed that because the government described the situation as a” top secret security issue,” it was difficult for NGOs and even Thai officials to gain access to the detainees, particularly the two bomb suspects.
At least five Uyghurs died in detention, according to the Germany- based World Uyghur Congress.
The National Human Rights Commission advisor, Rattikul, said that Thailand’s Human Rights Commissioner would persist in advocating for various recommendations.  ,
These include establishing a definitive timeline for third- country asylum, ensuring access to psychotherapy, enabling communication with outsiders, providing prompt notification in case of death, and improving detention facilities.
Additionally, the Commissioner is urging the authorities to designate a third country for asylum seekers and to implement a” no repatriation” policy when there is a potential risk. However, these recommendations have so far received no response from the Srettha administration.
” I expected this government to have a more liberal policy, or a balanced policy in this regard or human rights issues in general, but it’s disappointing. I still did n’t hear anything about them upholding human rights issues in Thailand”, she said.
Following nine years of a military- backed government, the ruling coalition’s leading party Pheu Thai may not do much to improve the administration’s human rights focus.  ,
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, whom the media dub a” salesman” for his economic focus, is seen by many political pundits as disregarding human rights.
However, Phil Robertson, a Human Rights Watch Deputy Director for Asia, said Srettha must stop buckling under Beijing’s pressure.
” Thailand should say to China: ‘ Look, according to our law and international standards, we ca n’t send them to you. ‘”  ,
Waiting for his father ,
A Turkish-based man who is still the father of his deceased father is still in a Bangkok cell said no one wanted to become a refugee but did it out of necessity in an animated video at Saturday’s seminar. He claimed that his family desired to be reunited.  ,  ,  ,
The man claimed that on March 14, 2014, his parents and siblings were being held in Thailand before all but his father were freed for settlement in Turkey.  ,
The man, who wished to remain anonymous to protect his family, said,” The most important man in our lives is missing. We know where he is, but we cannot hug him.”
” His absence is the most visible wound in our soul” . ,  ,
