US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday announced sanctions against officials from Thailand, a US ally, for their role in deporting at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where Washington says the members of the Muslim group will face persecution.
The US is “committed to combating China’s efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China, where they are subject to torture and enforced disappearances,” the State Department said in a statement.
The move appeared intended to discourage Thailand and other countries from such deportations.
While the United States has imposed sanctions in the past on Thailand, including by suspending military aid after military coups, and has also targeted Thai individuals and companies for violating sanctions on third countries, a leading Southeast Asia expert said he could not recall sanctions on Thai government officials, who were not named in Rubio’s announcement.
Thailand’s February deportation of the Uyghurs, held in detention for a decade, came despite warnings from United Nations human rights experts that they were at risk of torture, ill-treatment and “irreparable harm” if returned.
