The State Department said it was “combatting China's efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uighurs and other groups to China.”
The United States has imposed visa sanctions on several Thai officials over the sudden deportation of 40 Uighurs back to China last month, a rare punishment for countries that have repatriated members of the persecuted Muslim minority despite warnings that they could face torture and long prison terms upon return.
The visa restrictions could limit the ability of former and current Thai officials responsible for or complicit in the forced return of Uighurs to travel to the United States. The State Department is not releasing the names of the officials, citing confidentiality.
“We are committed to combating China’s efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uighurs and other groups to China, where they face torture and enforced disappearances,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday.
The move came a day after the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning the deportations and calling on Thailand to “stop any further forced returns of refugees to countries where their lives are at risk.”
The dual statements could complicate matters for the Thai government at a sensitive time. It is trying to stave off potential tariffs from the United States, with which the country has a $35 billion trade deficit. It is also trying to secure a free trade agreement with the European Union.
China has used its power and influence to silence critics abroad and pressure governments to repatriate citizens fleeing persecution. In recent years, the government has detained about a million Uighurs and others in internment camps and prisons, increased birth control measures for Muslim women and placed Muslim children in boarding schools.
Julian Koo, a law professor at Hofstra University who closely follows U.S. policy toward the Uighurs, wrote on social media that the visa restriction policy was “pretty drastic” and that he “can’t recall any sanctions like this being imposed on third countries.”
Thailand’s deputy foreign minister said this month that deporting the Uighurs was in the country’s best interests because of the possibility of retaliation from Beijing if they were sent elsewhere. He said some countries had offered to resettle the Uighurs, but he called the proposals “unrealistic” given that resettlement would not protect Thailand from potential conflict with China.
Thailand's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Thai government had received assurances from Chinese authorities regarding the safety of Uighurs and would continue to monitor their welfare. It added that it had repeatedly made this clear to concerned countries.
The Global Times, China's state-run newspaper, denounced the US visa policy as “hypocritical interference in China's internal affairs under the guise of human rights.”
Sui-Lee Wee is The Times's Southeast Asia bureau chief, responsible for covering 11 countries in the region. More about Sui-Lee Wee
For more information, see: Department of State
