China Must Disclose the Well-being of the 40 Uyghurs Forcibly Deported from Thailand
Immediate release: 12:00 pm Feb 28, 2025
East Turkistanian Federation of Canada strongly condemn the Thai government’s forcible deportation of 40 Uyghurs to China and call on the international community to act immediately. We urge global media to investigate and demand that China publicly disclose the names, photos, ages, and current whereabouts of these individuals.
In the early hours of February 27, Thai authorities forcibly removed 40 Uyghurs from Bangkok’s main immigration detention center and sent them to China. These individuals had fled China to escape genocide and were unjustly detained in Thailand for over a decade, despite having committed no crime other than entering the country without a visa.
China has so far released only staged footage of one Uyghur arriving at the airport and supposedly reuniting with a family member. The fate of the remaining 39 remains unknown. We strongly suspect that even the individual shown may have been taken to prison after being paraded for propaganda purposes.
This is a clear example of China’s deliberate disinformation campaign aimed at denying its ongoing genocide and misleading the world about its human rights abuses. Given China’s history of manipulating information to serve its geopolitical interests, the international community must not blindly accept its narrative.
We urge global media to expose China’s deception and demand that the Chinese government allow these 40 Uyghurs to freely use Chinese social media and publicly update the world on their well-being—if they are indeed safe and reunited with their families as China claims.
By deporting these individuals, Thailand has knowingly placed them at extreme risk of torture, execution, and enforced disappearance. This act violates international human rights standards and Thailand’s legal and moral obligations.
We call for urgent international action to hold both Thailand and China accountable and to ensure the safety of these 40 Uyghurs before it is too late.
East Turkistanian Federation of Canada (ETFC)
Contact info:
Rukiye Turdush, President of ETFC
Email: etfc1933@gmail.com
Phone: 647-210-0709