Turkish NGOs seek support from UN, Thailand for Uygur refugees’ protection

Today's Zaman

January 13, 2015, Tuesday/ 18:26:13/
TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES / ISTANBUL

Representatives of 23 Turkish NGOs gathered in İstanbul on Tuesday to send a joint letter to the UN and Thailand, saying the Uygur refugees rescued from a Thai human trafficking camp should not be delivered back to China.

The representatives reiterated that the Uygur refugees will be executed if Thailand hands them over to China.   

“Thailand will commit a humanitarian crime if it sends the Uygurs to China, ignoring Turkey's welcoming of the refugees,” the representatives said.  

China lashed out at Turkey in November for offering shelter to Uygurs from the western Chinese region of Xinjiang who were rescued from a human trafficking camp in Thailand.

Thai police found the group in March and Chinese officials identified "dozens" of them as Uygurs, a Muslim people from Xinjiang who speak a Turkic language. Many Uygurs chafe at government curbs on their culture and religion.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported in November a request by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu for Thailand to send the Uygurs to Turkey, a move that angered China, which views their move to Thailand as "illegal immigration."

In response to Turkey's offer, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the case was a matter between China and Thailand and "the relevant country” should stop interfering.

"We urge the relevant country to immediately stop meddling in placement work for the relevant case, be cautious with words and actions and not send out mistaken signals that interfere in and even support, illegal immigration activities," Hua said in a faxed statement to Reuters.

Turkey is home to thousands of Uygurs who have fled Xinjiang since the Chinese Communists took over the region in 1949. Turkey has projected itself as a stable Muslim democracy, a key player at a time of turmoil and unrest in the Middle East.

"I brought the issue to the notice of the Thai foreign minister in New York and the Chinese foreign minister in Beijing as well, and told them Turkey wants to shelter those Uygurs," Anadolu cited Çavuşoğlu as saying.