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[Today's Prayer] 40 Uyghurs Detained in Thailand at Risk of Being Forcibly Repatriated to China… UN warns they may be tortured

Updated: Jan 29

The international community is concerned as 40 Uyghurs detained in Thailand are at risk of being forcibly repatriated to China. The UN has warned that they may be tortured if they are forcibly sent.


According to the Bangkok Post and other sources on the 24th, the UN Human Rights Committee sent a statement to the Thai government the previous day urging them to "stop the repatriation of 48 Uyghurs to China." The UN Human Rights Committee stated, "The treatment of Uyghurs in China is well known. We believe they are in irreversible danger,” he said, adding that “there is a high possibility that they will be subjected to torture and other cruel and inhumane treatment.”


The Uyghurs are a Muslim minority group that mainly resides in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The West has criticized China for suppressing the Uyghurs by detaining them in forced labor camps under the pretext of so-called “re-education.” The story of the Uyghurs’ stay in Thailand dates back 11 years. About 300 Uyghurs were caught in Thailand, a transit point, while they were fleeing from Xinjiang in March 2014 and seeking asylum in Turkey.


(Omitted)

The remaining people have been confined in facilities prepared by the immigration office for more than 10 years, cut off from the outside world. On the 8th of this month, Thailand suddenly demanded that the Uyghurs sign a “voluntary departure” to China, but the detainees refused, saying, “(If you go to China) you could lose your life.” The Thai government's sudden decision to repatriate Uyghurs to China is interpreted as a measure to improve diplomatic relations with China.


Since then, international human rights groups have raised their voices in criticism. Peter Irwin of the Uyghur Human Rights Project, a human rights group, pointed out on the 11th that "those who escaped China and acted in accordance with international law have a clear right not to be deported." In addition, the United Nations has expressed concern and is taking steps to block the repatriation.


China denies the possibility of oppressing Uyghurs. Regarding the recent controversy over forced repatriation, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs countered by saying, "It is a matter of judicial cooperation between two sovereign countries, China and Thailand," and "The United Nations should not interfere in the judicial affairs of member states."


Meanwhile, new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated at his Senate confirmation hearing before taking office that "Thailand is a very strong partner and historical ally of the United States," but that he opposes the forced repatriation of Uyghurs.


Source: Hankook Ilbo


For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’(Matthew 25:35-36, 40)

God, we hear the news that about 40 Uyghurs who have been detained in Thailand and have lived there for a long time are in danger of being forcibly repatriated to China.


Lord, who knows all the situations and conditions that the Uyghurs face in China! Ten years ago, they fled China to survive, and after being caught in Thailand, they have been living in isolation from the world. Now, if they go back to China, they may lose their lives.


In this situation, what hope can the Uyghur people have? No powerful country in the world can save the Uyghur people. However, the Lord says that He will be the hope and refuge of the Uyghur people!


Lord, you hear the suffering of all peoples and are in sorrow! May the global church and the Chinese church truly understand what you meant when you said that ‘what we do to the least of these is done to You’ and no longer turn their backs on the suffering Uyghur people, but wake up to comfort and pray for them. Just as they would do to you, Jesus, may the global church and the Chinese church care for and receive the Uyghur people who are sick, imprisoned, and have lost homes. May the gospel of Jesus Christ be widely spread in the Uyghur diaspora and in Xinjiang! May the Uyghur people come to know Jesus Christ, their true hope, and enjoy true freedom.


Let the Uyghur people who cried in the midst of pain now be the ones to carry the gospel to all nations and make disciples! The Uyghur church, together with the Chinese church and the Turkic people, will break through the wall against the gospel and advance westward along the Silk Road!

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