Rubio vows to oppose Thai Uyghur deportations as US secretary of state

WASHINGTON — 

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump's prime for caput of state, is pledging to property Thailand to forestall the deportation of 48 Uyghurs held determination since 2014 aft fleeing alleged persecution successful Xinjiang, successful northwest China.

"Thailand is simply a precise beardown U.S. partner, a beardown humanities ally," Rubio said during his Senate confirmation proceeding Wednesday. "That is an country wherever I deliberation diplomacy could truly execute results due to the fact that of however important that narration is and however adjacent it is."

Describing the Uyghurs' plight successful China arsenic "one of the astir horrifying things that has ever happened," helium said, "These are radical who are fundamentally being rounded up due to the fact that of their ethnicity and religion, and they are being enactment into camps … stripped of their identity… and into forced labour — literally, enslaved labor."

Human rights advocates accidental returning the Uyghurs to China risks torture, agelong imprisonment, oregon disappearance.

Rubio, a starring professional of Beijing, co-sponsored the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans imports from Xinjiang unless escaped of forced labor. His stance for quality rights successful China has subjected him to Chinese sanctions since 2020.

China refutes accusations of genocide

Both the Biden and erstwhile Trump administrations person classified China's actions successful Xinjiang arsenic genocide, portion a 2022 United Nations study said Beijing's policies whitethorn represent crimes against humanity. China rejects these accusations, framing its actions arsenic anti-terrorism measures.

The Chinese Embassy successful Bangkok claimed connected Wednesday that Uyghur detainees successful Thailand had violent ties.

"A tiny fig of individuals, enticed by outer forces, fled overseas and adjacent joined the 'East Turkestan Islamic Movement,' [ETIM] a violent enactment recognized by the United Nations, becoming terrorists themselves," the embassy stated.

Although ETIM was listed arsenic a panic radical successful 2002, the U.S. delisted it successful 2020, citing nary "clear and convincing grounds of ETIM's existence," according to Congressional Research Service.

Julie Millsap, authorities relations manager astatine the Washington-based radical No Business With Genocide, dismissed China's claims.

There has been "no grounds presented to nexus these men to terrorism," Millsap told VOA. "The PRC cannot assertion concurrently that it has a colonisation of happy, dancing Uyghurs portion labeling asylum seekers arsenic extremists."

Arslan Hidayat, squad pb of the Save Uyghur run by U.S.-based Justice for All, said Uyghur detainees successful Thailand precocious faced a troubling development.

"Last week, I learned from the detainees that Thai migration officers attempted to photograph 43 Uyghur detainees and person them motion documents akin to those utilized successful 2015, erstwhile much than 100 Uyghurs were forcibly repatriated to China," Hidayat told VOA Friday.

"Fearing a repetition of that wide deportation, the detainees refused and launched a hunger strike, which continues to this day," helium said.

'Degrading attraction oregon adjacent torture'

In summation to the 43 Uyghurs successful Thailand's IDC, 5 are imprisoned aft a failed flight attempt. A U.N. study cited "degrading attraction oregon adjacent torture" and 5 deaths, including 2 children, urging Thai authorities against deportation without owed process and idiosyncratic extortion assessments.

Human Rights Watch connected Friday urged Thailand to merchandise detained Uyghurs and assistance them harmless transition to a 3rd country.

"Successive Thai governments person kept the Uyghurs successful inhumane detention, portion nether unit from the Chinese authorities to nonstop them to China," said Elaine Pearson, Asia manager astatine Human Rights Watch, calling connected Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's authorities to extremity this cycle.

VOA contacted the Thai Embassy successful Washington and the Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry for remark connected the Uyghurs' presumption and the reports of imaginable repatriation but received nary response.

Babar Baloch, planetary spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, told VOA the bureau is intimately monitoring the concern and has sought assurances from Thai authorities.

"We proceed to punctual the authorities of their obligations connected non-refoulement and to advocator for alternatives to detention," helium said Friday.

Zumretay Arkin, vice president of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, cited ongoing discussions betwixt China and Thailand astir deportations successful the discourse of the 50th day of their diplomatic relations.

"We stay acrophobic astir their destiny and proceed to summation nationalist pressure," Arkin told VOA, adding that her radical had called connected spouse organizations to signifier planetary protests extracurricular Thai diplomatic missions.

Family torn isolated

Rahile, a 32-year-old Uyghur parent of 3 surviving successful Turkey, has been separated from her husband, detained successful Bangkok for astir a decade. She asked that his sanction not beryllium used, fearing reprisal from Thai authorities.

"We had conscionable built our location [in Xinjiang] and were surviving a mean beingness erstwhile everything turned into a nightmare 12 years ago," she told VOA from Kayseri, Turkey, requesting her past sanction beryllium withheld to support relatives successful confederate Xinjiang.

Their ordeal began successful 2013 erstwhile a Uyghur moving for the Chinese authorities warned her hubby that his sanction was connected a detention database arsenic authorities targeted Uyghur men nether vague suspicions of alleged separatism and extremism.

"My hubby learned of an flight way and asked if I would travel oregon enactment behind," Rahile said. "People astir america were disappearing. He had nary prime but to leave."

The mates fled without passports, relying connected smugglers to transverse into Southeast Asia. Intercepted successful Thailand successful 2014, Rahile and her 2 young sons spent 18 months successful detention earlier Turkey resettled much than 170 women and children. Her hubby remained with much than 150 Uyghur migrants successful Thailand.

Weeks later, implicit 100 Uyghurs were forcibly deported to China. "They were ne'er heard from again," she said. "I was relieved my hubby was inactive successful Thailand. I hoped we'd reunite soon."

A decennary later, her youngest son, calved successful Thai detention, has ne'er met his father.

"The abstraction was truthful cramped my children could sleep, but I had to stand," she said. "Now, my hubby has endured that symptom for 11 years."

In Turkey, Rahile juggles jobs to enactment her household aft archetypal assistance from the section community.

"My children inquire wherefore their begetter isn't here," she said. "I person nary reply for them."