Rights activists scoff at 'Uygur terrorist' claims over group of 410 held in Thailand
410 suspects held in Thailand include children and pregnant women, says Human Rights Watch
Claims that a group of suspected Chinese Uygurs in Thailand wanted to be trained as terrorists have been ridiculed by a prominent human rights organisation.
Most of those in the group of 410 people, whose nationalities have not been confirmed, were arrested in Thailand this month.
A report in the Bangkok Post yesterday said police suspected the group was using Thailand as a transit point "to travel on to Turkey where they allegedly would be trained for terrorist plots".
The newspaper said the claim was made by an unidentified Thai police source, who in turn said the information had been provided by Chinese police.
But Phil Robertson, Asia deputy director for Human Rights Watch, said: "The groups are composed of significant numbers of small children and more than a few pregnant women. So one wonders how these unnamed police sources have somehow jumped to a conclusion these people are terrorists."
Investigations and discussions are now taking place involving Thailand, Turkey and China about the status of the families and what will happen to them in the future.
Caucasian in appearance, the families are claiming Turkish ethnicity. Some say they are seeking to migrate to Australia. Other say Turkey is their destination.