Tears in Thai prison: Uyghurs devastated as friends deported to China

Detainees fear for their lives as Thailand ignores global warnings on forced repatriation

BANGKOK, Thailand (MNTV) – Four ethnic Uyghur detainees in a Thai prison broke down in tears upon learning that 40 of their friends had been forcibly deported to China, where they fear persecution, a close friend revealed after visiting them.

Thailand repatriated the group last week despite strong warnings from the U.S., the U.N., and human rights organizations, all of whom cautioned that the deported Uyghurs could face imprisonment, torture, or worse upon return to China’s Eastern Turkistan, officially  known as Xinjiang region.

“They were heartbroken when they heard the news,” said Marzeryya, a 37-year-old friend of the detainees, speaking to Radio Free Asia affiliate BenarNews. “They cried, something they had never done before, because they are terrified for their friends.”

The four men are among five Uyghurs being held at Bangkok’s Klong Prem prison after a failed escape attempt. It remains unclear why they were not included in last week’s deportation.

Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group in China’s Xinjiang province, have faced widespread human rights abuses, with many detained in massive internment camps.

UN experts warned on January 21 that the detained Uyghurs in Thailand would likely face torture if sent back to China and urged Bangkok to halt the deportations.

Marzeryya confirmed that none of the five detainees wanted to return to China. “They begged us to pray that they would be sent to a third country,” she said.

Thailand’s handling of Uyghur asylum seekers has sparked global condemnation, with human rights groups urging the government to uphold its international obligations to protect vulnerable refugees.