Thailand should be commended for managing the return of 40 Uyghurs to China, a deputy premier said on Friday, as his country endured a torrent of international condemnation over its secretive deportation and Bangkok embassies sent out security alerts. The 40 Uyghurs who had been held in Thailand for a decade were sent back to China in a pre-dawn operation on Thursday, defying calls from United Nations human rights experts who said they would be at risk of torture, ill-treatment and "irreparable harm" if returned. The move also drew a rebuke from Australia and also Canada and Britain, while the European Union and the U.N. refugee agency said Thailand had clearly violated its international obligations. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed alarm at the forced return of Uyghurs by a U.S. ally to a country where he said the Muslim minority had faced genocide, forced labour and crimes against humanity. But Thai ministers on Friday said measures were being taken to ensure their wellbeing, including periodic inspections starting from next week.
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