Thailand is facing a global backlash after deporting Turkic ethnic Uighurs back to Turkey and China.
While the international community has mostly accepted the decision to send the Uighurs to Turkey after they illegally entered Thailand last year, many have harshly criticised the government for repatriating other Uighurs in the group to China.
Sending the minority group to China was a death sentence, some critics said.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed its deep disappointment with the Thai government, while protesters in Istanbul rioted and broke into the Thai consulate. This violence has resulted in security alerts for other Thai diplomatic corps across Europe.
The Thai government insisted it made the right decision in repatriating the migrants in line with its policy on illegal immigration, particularly after the Rohingya crisis.
However, foreign affairs experts said the government should try harder to balance the needs of security and diplomacy to find a solution to the Uighur problem.
Some academics also questioned the government’s lack of a diplomatic strategy in simply returning the migrants to Turkey and China.
Foreign Ministry sources said they provided diplomatic advice, but they did not have final say on the decision to deport the Uighurs.
Jaran Maluleem, head of international relations at Thammasat University’s faculty of political science, expressed doubts over the government’s action in deporting the Uighurs, saying the Rohingya and Uighur issues were different.
Mr Jaran said the Uighurs were a large Muslim minority group in several countries, including the United States and Germany, and had gained support from most of the Western countries to which they had fled.
“The Uighur community is stronger than that of the Rohingya and they have firm support from Turkey, which has played a key role in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in the past 10 years. So Thailand should play the diplomatic game cautiously in this case,” Mr Jaran said.
The world has been watching Thailand since the Rohingya crisis and the latest case has further damaged its image on human rights, despite the country insisting the deportation was agreed upon by both Turkish and Chinese authorities, the academic said.
A government security source said resolving the Uighur issue was important as Thailand would not be able to handle the long-term burden and consequences.
“State agencies discussed the issue and decided to deport the Uighurs to the two countries after checks to verify their nationality were carried out,” the source said.
“Although the Rohingya issue has faded away it has been replaced by the Uighur issue, so we have to resolve it.”
The source said close diplomatic ties forged with China over the last 40 years influenced the decision to send the Uighurs back to the mainland. Thailand also wanted to retain a good relationship with Turkey, which was another factor taken into account. “If China was disappointed it could affect relations between the countries, particularly in trade and investment.”
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the nationality verification process was conducted under international and Thai laws. He said the issue was sensitive and could harm the country if it was mishandled.
“This is our stance because we are not a party involved in the conflict. What do you think I am going to do? Destroy investments with Turkey or ruin Thai-Sino ties? I have done this for the sake of the country,” he said.
Mr Jaran agreed with the government’s stance in balancing relations between Turkey and China, but argued the government should also consider international reaction, particularly as China has a poor reputation for violating the rights of the Uighur community.
Returning the Uighurs to Turkey and China was not the answer to Thailand’s problems, he said.
“I think the problem is the international community does not trust China due to its record on human rights abuses, especially how they treat the Uighurs in Xinjiang,” Mr Jaran said, adding that despite assurances from the Chinese government that they would treat the Uighurs fairly, there were doubts over their fate.
The Prayut administration should not let security concerns drive its diplomatic strategy, he added.
He said wise and cautious diplomacy was necessary for the interim government, which has come under pressure over various issues since it took power last year.
“I don’t know what is wrong with Thai diplomacy these days. Although we have a general as foreign minister, it does not mean that diplomacy can be ignored.
"Diplomacy should be a priority for the government,” Mr Jaran said.
He added that mishandling sensitive issues could damage foreign ties, trade and investment.
“I understand the government has done everything for the country’s benefit, but it could suffer negative consequences from mishandling this problem,” he said.