In brief
In Bangkok, nearly forty Uyghur men who fled repression in China and sought refuge in Thailand over a decade ago have begun a hunger strike that has entered its second week as they fear imminent deportation. The men are protesting against what they perceive as threats from the Thai authorities, who have denied any plans for their return to China.
In a dramatic escalation of their plight, dozens of Uyghur men currently detained in Thailand have launched a hunger strike in Bangkok, voicing fears over imminent deportation back to China. After more than ten years in Thai detention centers, these men find themselves at a crossroads as they protest against Thai authorities' alarming imposition of "voluntary return" forms. Each detainee began their hunger strike on January 10 to challenge a process reminiscent of the 2015 event that led to the forcible return of 109 Uyghurs to China.Reports indicate that, following the distribution of these forms, detainees were required to take photographs, spurring panic among them. One detainee reached out to a journalist with news of their protest, underscoring how little outside communication they can maintain, only able to receive monthly visits from a doctor. The Thai government has outright denied any plans to send the detainees back to China and claims no hunger strike is occurring.The Yuighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim ethnic group from Xinjiang in western China, have faced increasing harrowing experiences since 2014 when the Chinese state ramped up surveillance and repression against perceived threats to its authority. This grim environment has seen perhaps a million Uyghurs detained in internment camps, subjected to strict state control measures.As the hunger strike continues, the detainees remain resolute in their demands, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis faced by the Uyghur people and the severe consequences of their current predicament in Thailand.
