The US Department of State will be imposing visa restrictions on Thai government officials responsible for the forced return of 40 Uyghur refugees to China, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

In a statement issued on Friday (14 March), Rubio said that the Department of State is implementing a new visa restriction policy on former and current government officials responsible for, or complicit in, the forced return of Uyghurs or members of other ethnic or religious groups with protection concerns to China, and that he is immediately taking steps to implement the policy by imposing restrictions on Thai officials involved in the forced return of 40 Uyghur refugees on 27 February. Certain family members of the officials may also be subject to these restrictions.

"We are 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," said Rubio, calling for other countries not to forcibly return Uyghurs and members of other ethnic groups to China.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a statement on Saturday (15 March) responding to the US Department of State's policy announcement. The MFA insisted that the Thai government has received assurances from China regarding the safety of the Uyghur refugees and will continue to follow up on their wellbeing.

"Thailand has always upheld a long tradition of humanitarianism, particularly in providing assistance to displaced persons from various countries for more than half a century and will continue to do so," said the statement. 

The MFA also said that Thailand "has always and will continue to value the long-standing and close treaty alliance with the United States, based on mutual respect and shared strategic interests both at the bilateral and regional levels."

In the middle of the night on 26 February and early morning of 27 February, at least 40 Uyghur refugees detained at Bangkok's Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre were forcibly deported to China. They were reportedly moved in detention trucks with blacked-out windows and taken onto a flight leaving from Don Muang International Airport. Police chief Pol Gen Kitrat Panphet confirmed later on 27 February that the refugees were returned to China on a request from the Chinese government.

Human rights organizations have condemned the Thai government's decision to deport the refugees as a violation of Thailand's international obligations as the refugees are at risk of human rights abuses if returned to China. Some also said that the forced return undermine Thailand's credibility as a member of the UN Human Rights Council.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday (14 March) condemning the deportation and demanded that the Thai authorities immediately halt further forced returns of refugees, asylum seekers, and political dissidents to countries where their lives are at risk. It also called on the Thai authorities to grant the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) unrestricted access to detained Uyghur asylum seekers and provide information on their status. It calls on Thailand to ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol, and to implement a “transparent, fair and humane asylum system.”

China must also grant the UNHCR access to the deported refugees, says the resolution, calling for respect for the refugees’ fundamental rights, transparency on their whereabouts, and the release of detainees.