Roundup: Thailand's repatriation of illegal immigrants to China lawful, experts say

Thailand's recent repatriation of over 100 illegal immigrants to China conforms with international practice as the crackdown on illegal immigration is an international responsibility and obligation, overseas officials, experts and scholars said.

Thailand on Thursday repatriated a total of 109 illegal immigrants to China, who had been on their way to Turkey, Syria or Iraq to join jihad, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security confirmed Saturday.

Among the 109 individuals returned to China this week, 13 had fled China after being implicated in terrorist activities, and another two had escaped detention, said a ministry statement.

Bambang Suryono, president of the Nanyang ASEAN Foundation based in Jakarta, said China and Thailand cooperated in repatriating illegal Uygur immigrants of Chinese nationality after close communication.

The move, which is in line with the two countries' bilateral agreements and international practice, will help fight human smuggling and international human trafficking, he said.

Mohamed Abdel-Wahhab al-Saket, a former Arab League ambassador to China, said it is normal and reasonable for Thailand to repatriate those Chinese minority citizens at the request of China.

The repatriation is in accordance with relevant rules of the two countries and international law, said al-Saket, adding that the politicization of the issue is groundless.

"There are suspicions about those Chinese citizens who illegally travel to other countries regarding their possible future roles in working against China," he said.

"Therefore, China has the right to request the repatriation of such suspicious citizens to avoid their involvement in terrorist activities or any other illegal acts," he noted.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said his government has fully adhered to "laws and international obligations" by identifying the nationalities of the Uygur immigrants and sending them back to their own country.

No country should protest or condemn the Thai government on the issue, he said.

"We comply with all international laws but we also have our own laws to follow ... What we have to consider is whether they violated the laws and where they came from," he said.

Sek Wannamethee, a spokesman for the Thai Foreign Ministry, said the government had conducted the repatriation carefully in accordance with international obligations and humanitarian principles.

The Office of the National Security Council will send a delegation to China to monitor the entire procedure at the invitation of the Chinese authorities, Sek said.

Chieng Feng, vice president of the Thai newspaper Asia News Time, said the repatriation of illegal immigrants is an international issue and should not be politicized.

Regardless of their political appeal, the Uygurs had traveled to and stayed in Thailand through illegal channels, he said, adding that illegal immigrants should be repatriated to the country of their own nationality under international law.

So, he said, it is fair, reasonable and lawful for Thailand to detain and repatriate them after verifying their identities.

The repatriation is in line with international conventions and bilateral accords, as well as international law and practice on cracking down on illegal immigrants, Chieng said.

Mahbubur Rahman, former chief of staff of the Bangladeshi Army, said the repatriation is normal cooperation between China and Thailand and should not be politicized by other countries.

The illegal immigrants are from China, so China has every right to get them back, he said.

Shahjahan Mridha, general secretary of Bangladesh-China Cultural Economic Center, said Thailand's move is "quite usual and comes surely under an international obligation."

"If they are found guilty, China will surely bring them back through widely acceptable fair trial," said Mridha.

Echoing similar views, Sheuli Akter, an editor of local on-line media NsNewsWire, said any country has the right to get back its people staying illegally abroad.

"We think this is something of China's internal affairs. China has its own laws to ensure safety and security of its ethnic and religious people and their welfare," Akter said. Endi