US places visa curbs on Thai officials over Uyghur deportations

[SINGAPORE] The US restricted visas to current and former Thai officials involved in the return of 40 Uyghurs to China last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday (Mar 14).

The visa curbs are part of a new policy to combat China’s efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China, the secretary of state said. Members of the Chinese minority group are subject to torture and enforced disappearances and the new visa restriction policy will apply to any government officials who deport Uyghurs back to the Asian country, he said.

“In light of China’s longstanding acts of genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Uyghurs, we call on governments around the world not to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China,” he said.

The US did not identify the Thai officials who will face visa restrictions. It said certain family members of the targeted individuals may also be subject to the measures.

Thailand earlier this month defended the Feb 27 deportation, saying it was the “best solution” to avoid a backlash from Beijing. The South-east Asian country – a longstanding treaty ally of the US – has sought to deepen ties with China, a key source of foreign investment, to boost its lacklustre economy.

China has been repeatedly accused by the US and other nations of abuses against the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority that lives in the northwestern Xinjiang region. Beijing has come under international pressure for subjecting them to forced labour in detention centres and transfer programmes that remove them from their homes in rural areas to work in factories in urban areas. China has denied the accusations. BLOOMBERG