Last Minute
CHINA RELATIONSEAST TURKESTAN PROBLEM AND TURKEY
FRONTLINE China Undercover
Elimination of “Uyghur Counter-Revolutionary Officials” in Academic Fields—Exact Quotes Translated from a Mandarin Audio File
In Push for Trade Deal, Trump Administration Shelves Sanctions Over China’s Crackdown on Uighurs
Dalai Lama’s 60th Anniversary Symposium: İlshat Hassan speech in English and Chinese
Uyghur Detainees from Xinjiang ‘Placed in Nearly Every Prison’ in Shandong Province
AP photo
Thailand on Friday closed its embassy and consulate in Turkey after a protest against its deportation of Uighur Muslims to China, as the US warned the minority could face “harsh treatment” on their return.
Scores are believed to have fled the restive area in recent years, sometimes travelling through Southeast Asia in hope of resettling in Turkey.
The fate of some 400 Uighurs in Thailand had been in doubt since they were detained for illegal entry in March 2014, while authorities verified their nationalities amid a tussle between Turkey and China over where they should be moved.
The junta-ruled kingdom revealed July 9 that around 100 Uighurs were deported to China on July 8, while an earlier group of 172 women and children were sent to Turkey in late June.
The China deportations sparked international condemnation from the United States, rights groups and the UN as well as the Istanbul protest.
In Bangkok, Thai government spokesman Werachon Sukhondhapatipak told reporters July 10 that “the government has ordered the Thai embassy and consulate to close temporarily today”.
“We will assess the situation on a daily basis,” he said, adding all was currently under control with no Thai nationals affected, while citizens had been warned to remain on alert.
According to a Turkish news agency, an Asian tourist was attacked by pro-Uighur protesters in Ankara July 9 as she was thought to be Chinese.
Responding to criticism over the China deportations, Werachon said that high-level Thai officials would travel to the country next week to follow-up on the returned group.
Uighurs in Xinjiang, who number around 10 million, have long said they face discrimination. More recently China has launched a wide-ranging crackdown in the region in response to rising violence which authorities blame on Islamist separatists.
Under pressure from Beijing, countries including Cambodia, Malaysia and Pakistan have all in recent years forcibly returned members of the ethnic minority to China.
On July 9 the United States expressed “grave disappointment” in Thailand.
“We condemn Thailand’s forced deportation on July 9 of over 100 ethnic Uighurs to China, where they could face harsh treatment and a lack of due process,” the State Department said in a statement.
July/10/2015
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/thai-embassy-closed-in-turkey-after-protest-against-deported-uighurs-.aspx?pageID=517&nID=85235&NewsCatID=510
RELATED NEWS