In brief
As the threat of imminent deportation looms, dozens of Uyghur men imprisoned in Thailand are engaging in a hunger strike, urging the government to halt their return to China, where they risk severe repression.
Article Text:In Bangkok, dozens of Uyghur men have entered the second week of a hunger strike inside an immigration detention center, expressing their desperate plea for the Thai government to reconsider their imminent deportation to China. These individuals fled their homeland over a decade ago to escape persecution but have found themselves in prolonged detention, fearing the potential consequences of being sent back.Initiated on January 10, this hunger strike followed the detainees being handed “voluntary return” forms, an alarming signal reminiscent of events in 2015 when 109 Uyghurs were deported to China. The detainees, who have been held in Thailand for more than ten years, refused to comply with the forms and were subsequently instructed to have their photographs taken, amplifying their fears of a similar fate.Despite their protests, Thai authorities have stated that there are no plans to deport the detainees and have denied the existence of the hunger strike. However, one detainee managed to communicate discreetly with journalists and activists, detailing the escalating panic among the group as they navigate the precarious situation.The Uyghurs are part of a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority predominantly residing in China’s Xinjiang region, which has been subject to intense surveillance and repression by the Chinese government since 2014. Reports indicate that up to one million Uyghurs and others have been detained in internment camps under the guise of combating separatism, alongside extensive measures to control their communities, including forced birth control and the separation of children from their families.Living in dire conditions with minimal access to the outside world, the hunger-striking men are not only fighting for their immediate survival but also the right to stay safe from the pervasive threat of torture and imprisonment back in their homeland.
