Washington, USA – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday sanctions against Thai officials for their role in deporting at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where Washington warns they face persecution.
The U.S. remains “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 is seen as an effort to discourage Thailand and other nations from similar deportations.
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Analysts note that Washington has previously avoided tougher sanctions against Thailand, a longtime ally, due to concerns that such actions might push the country closer to China.
The Washington-based advocacy group Campaign for Uyghurs praised Rubio’s decision and the Trump administration, stating that it “sends a strong message that those who enable the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) human rights abuses will face consequences.”
Rubio, a staunch advocate for Uyghur rights during his tenure as a U.S. senator, reaffirmed that Beijing’s treatment of the Uyghurs constitutes “genocide and crimes against humanity,” a designation the U.S. first made in 2021 during the final days of President Donald Trump’s first term.
Diplomatic Tensions and China’s Response
China has repeatedly denied allegations of abuse and forced labor involving Uyghurs, instead claiming that it has established “vocational training centers” to combat terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism.
While the U.S. has imposed sanctions on Thailand in the past—including suspending military aid after coups and targeting individuals and companies for violating sanctions on third countries—experts suggest that this is the first time Thai government officials have been directly sanctioned. The officials targeted in Rubio’s announcement were not named.
Thailand’s February deportation of the Uyghurs, who had been detained for a decade, proceeded despite warnings from United Nations human rights experts that they could face torture, ill-treatment, and “irreparable harm” upon their return to China. Reuters recently reported that Canada and the U.S. had offered to resettle 48 ethnic Uyghurs, but Bangkok declined, fearing diplomatic repercussions from Beijing.
“I am immediately implementing this policy by taking steps to impose visa restrictions on current and former Thai government officials responsible for, or complicit in, the forced return of 40 Uyghurs from Thailand on February 27,” Rubio stated.
“In light of China’s longstanding acts of genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs, we call on governments worldwide not to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China,” he added. The sanctions may also extend to family members of those targeted, according to the State Department.
Thailand’s Response and Economic Considerations
Thailand has defended the deportations, asserting that it acted in accordance with its laws and human rights obligations. Its embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Rubio’s announcement.
Murray Hiebert, a leading regional expert with the Southeast Asia program at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted that Thailand is highly sensitive to criticism. However, its reaction to the sanctions could be tempered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threats to impose tariffs on countries with significant trade surpluses with the U.S.
“They might want to lay low,” Hiebert remarked. “They already have a target on their back by having the 11th largest trade surplus with the U.S. … it’s not clear Thailand is out of the woods yet when Trump imposes reciprocal tariffs in early April.”
The sanctions add to the growing diplomatic strain between the U.S., Thailand, and China, as geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific continue to rise.
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