Thai officials, a US ally, were sanctioned by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday for their involvement in the deportation of at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where Washington claims the Muslim group’s members will be persecuted.
The State Department in a statement said “US is committed to combating China’s efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China, where they are subject to torture and enforced disappearances”.
Although the United States has previously targeted Thai individuals and companies for violating sanctions on third countries and suspended military aid following military coups, a prominent Southeast Asia expert said he could not recall sanctions on Thai government officials, who were not mentioned in Rubio’s announcement.
United Nations human rights experts warned that the Uyghurs, who had been detained for ten years, may face torture, mistreatment, and “irreparable harm” if they were sent back, yet Thailand deported them in February.
-Deeprows News
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