Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa and Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong will fly to China’s Xinjiang province on March 18, to visit the 40 Uyghurs deported from Thailand on February 27.
The visit is intended to confirm whether the Uyghurs are safe, well and being taken care of, as the Chinese government promised, to ease concerns of western governments.
Phumtham said that no other country, except Turkey, would agree to accept these 40 Uyghurs, who had been held in custody at the Immigration Bureau for about two decades. Turkey accepted a group of women, children and elderly people several years ago.
He said there was the option for Western countries to take them but, since no country volunteered to do so, China offered to take them back with an assurance of their safety, the Thai government agreed with the repatriation option, adding that he has an appointment with the German ambassador today to explain the decision.
