In brief
In a desperate plea against deportation threats, Uyghur men held in Thai detention centers have entered their second week of a hunger strike, fearing imminent return to China.
Dozens of Uyghur men, who fled persecution from China, are now facing a new crisis in an immigration detention center in Bangkok, Thailand. After more than a decade of detention, they began a hunger strike on January 10, seeking to compel the Thai government to prevent their deportation back to China, where they risk torture and imprisonment.This strike was triggered by the issuance of "voluntary return" forms to the detainees, akin to events preceding the deportation of 109 Uyghurs in 2015. Despite the Thai authorities denying any imminent deportation and claiming there is no ongoing hunger strike, detainees are anxious having almost no communication with the outside world except for a monthly medical visit.The Uyghurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim ethnic group predominantly from Xinjiang, China, have faced severe repression by Chinese authorities. Since 2014, the region has been under stringent surveillance, leading to the detention of up to one million Uyghurs in various facilities where they are reportedly subjected to indoctrination, forced labor, and other human rights violations. As detainees in Thailand navigate their uncertain fate, the hunger strike stands as a hopeful protest for freedom and safety.
