Thank you to the organizers for this crucial press conference. Your efforts to expose the Uyghur crisis and defend human dignity are vital. Today, we unite not only in sorrow but to confront the consequences of undermining human rights.
We are gathered here today to raise our voices against a deeply troubling development, the deportation of 40 Uyghur refugees from Thailand to China. After spending more than a decade in detention under dire conditions in Thailand, these Uyghurs have now been sent into another nightmare – into the hands of the very regime they fled.
They were not just deported – they were delivered into the hands of the very regime they risked everything to escape. This is not merely a bureaucratic decision; it is complicity in state-led persecution and a betrayal of the most sacred principles of international human rights law.
This deportation is not an isolated incident; it is part of a much larger, systematic campaign by the Chinese government to suppress, punish, and persecute the Uyghur people. These 40 individuals are now likely trapped in a brutal network of detention centers, prison camps, or worse. Many will face interrogation, torture, and forced renunciation of their faith. Some may never be heard from again.
The Thai government’s actions violate the principle of non-refoulement, a cornerstone of international refugee protection. No state should send someone to a place of torture or persecution, yet Thailand has done so – again – and Thailand has become a tool for the CCP to cover up the ongoing Uyghur genocide.
Let us not forget the haunting precedent. In 2014, Thailand deported 109 Uyghur refugees to China, and a decade later, their fate remains unknown. They vanished into China’s detention system – a system designed to erase Uyghur identity, culture, and faith. To this day, we don’t know where they are or what happened to them.
In my homeland, China has created an unprecedented digital surveillance state. AI systems track Uyghurs 24/7, with cameras in homes and spy apps on phones. Uyghurs are arrested for owning a Qur’an, praying, or contacting family abroad. Families are harassed, detained, and punished simply for having relatives abroad. The Chinese “social credit system” discriminate and categorizes Uyghurs, punishing those deemed “untrustworthy” with restrictions on movement, work, and more.
I am also a victim of these atrocities. The Chinese government took my family, my brother, my sisters, their husbands, and my nieces. Some were sent to concentration camps, and others to prisons. I have not been able to contact with my mother for over seven years. She is now in her late 70s. In August 2023, I received news of my father’s passing, eight months after he had died. I am not alone in this suffering. The entire Uyghur diaspora faces the same fate as I do. This is not just my tragedy; it is the tragedy of my people.
In this context, the recent visit by Thai officials and journalists to check on the deported Uyghurs raises serious concerns. The visit was heavily censored, tightly controlled, and lacked transparency. Only five individuals were shown in Yarkand, yet the majority of the deported Uyghurs were originally from Qarghiliq and Hotan. Why weren’t these individuals visited? What do the authorities have to hide?
China claims these Uyghurs will undergo “re-education.” We know what that means: indefinite detention, political indoctrination, forced confessions, and, in many cases, torture and abuse. It means stripping people of their beliefs, their memories, and their dignity.
We must remember that China never honors international agreements, never respects diplomatic promises, and never tells the truth when it comes to its treatment of Uyghurs.
At this moment, we must demand that the Chinese government provide clear, independent, and verifiable proof of the safety and well-being of the 40 deported Uyghurs, as well as the 109 deported a decade ago.
We call on the international community to take real action, not just make statements, to hold China accountable. Thailand and all nations must uphold international law, especially the principle of non-refoulement and ensure that no refugee faces persecution. We demand that governments, NGOs, journalists, and citizens worldwide reject China’s lies and hold China accountable.
We call on all of you to continue reporting and relentlessly uncover the truth behind this tragedy. We need more independent and reliable journalists to speak out, write, investigate, and demand that your governments take action.
This is the defining test of our generation. Will we stand against genocide, or will we turn away once again? We call on every government to protect refugees, halt deportations to China, and hold Beijing accountable for its heinous crimes. We urge the public to remain vigilant, raise their voices, and amplify the voices of those who can no longer speak for themselves.
Thank you for your attention.
* This Speech was delivered on March 26, 2025, during the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) panel on Thai officials’ visit to the Uyghur refugees deported to China. The panel is available to watch here. https://www.fccthai.com/events/487
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