New investigation flags Uyghur detentions in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asian countries have deported or detained hundreds of Uyghur asylum seekers fleeing ethnic and religious persecution in China, according to an investigation by The New York Times Magazine. 

In Thailand, the repression of Uyghurs coincided with the country’s political and economic alignment away from the United States and towards China since 2013, the investigation found.

Thousands of Uyghurs fled China following the 2009 riots in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, in which at least 200 Uyghurs and Han Chinese were killed. The riots ushered in a wave of repressive policies, including curfews and restrictions on expressions of Uyghur culture. The exodus continued until China’s establishment of mass internment camps for Uyghurs and other Muslims in 2017.

One popular smuggling route took Uyghurs to Turkey via Malaysia. To reach Malaysia, they had to travel overland from southern China across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. Some were shot and killed while crossing borders. Many were caught and deported along the way. Some deportees were sentenced to death upon their return to China. 

Among the detainees were 48 Uyghur men who have spent more than a decade detained in Thailand, where they remain today. The United States and its allies have called for their release and resettlement, but China demands their return. Hesitant to upset either great power, successive Thai governments have left the men in detention, where conditions are inhumane and life-threatening, according to UN experts.

Five members of the group have died in Thai detention, including two children.

UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, has said that the Thai government has never granted its staff the necessary access to facilitate their resettlement in third countries. But an investigation published by The New Humanitarian in May found that the Thai government asked the agency in 2020 to play a more active role in resolving the Uyghurs’ detention. UNHCR staff advised against getting more involved, according to documents we obtained.

Conditions in the detention facility have deteriorated this year, according to several detainees who spoke to The New York Times Magazine. One said he has not seen the sun in 10 years. He also said two of the deaths could have been prevented if the Uyghurs had been able to see doctors. 

“I don’t want to die here,” he said. “I don’t want to be buried in a grave that doesn’t have my name on it.”

To read our May investigation, click here:

UN declined offers to assist Uyghur asylum seekers detained in Thailand

After Thai authorities asked UNHCR to find a solution to the Uyghurs’ detention in 2019, the agency decided against “taking pro-active steps”.