Global Lawmakers Urge UN Intervention for Detained Uyghur Asylum Seekers in Thailand

Dozens of lawmakers from 26 countries are calling on the UN human rights commissioner for refugees to intervene on behalf of 48 Uyghur asylum seekers detained in Thailand for nearly a decade, the Independent reported yesterday.

A New York Times report highlighted the inhumane conditions faced by these men, aged 25 to 50, who are at risk of deportation to China, where they could face severe persecution.

The lawmakers, part of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, expressed concerns over the detainees’ lack of contact with family and lawyers, and the differing standards of care they receive compared to other detainees. They indicated that some foreign governments are willing to resettle these individuals.

Since fleeing persecution in Xinjiang, many Uyghurs have faced dire circumstances, with reports of deaths in custody and forced returns to China. The UN estimates that over a million Uyghurs have been detained in China amid allegations of widespread human rights abuses.

It should be mentioned that Thailand is not a party to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, which leaves asylum seekers vulnerable to arrest and detention as “illegal migrants”.