SYDNEY: Australia “strongly disagrees” with Thailand’s decision to transfer 40 Uyghurs to China against their will and has raised concerns about their treatment with the Chinese government, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday (Feb 28).
Rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority numbering about 10 million in the far western region of Xinjiang. Beijing denies any abuses.
On Thursday, Thailand confirmed a secretive pre-dawn deportation of 40 Uyghurs that drew condemnation from the United Nations, United States and human rights groups, though China said the repatriations were in line with both nations’ laws.
“The Australian government strongly disagrees with the decision of the Thai government to transfer a cohort of 40 Uyghurs to China against their will,” Wong said in a statement.
