China and Turkey in tug-of-war over suspected Uygurs in Thailand
Turkey and China want group of illegal immigrants repatriated while Thailand tries to confirm nationalities of the detained Muslims
A group of suspected Uygur Muslims has become the focus of a diplomatic tug-of-war in Thailand between China and Turkey, with both countries wanting to repatriate them and hundreds of other suspected Uygurs detained in Thailand as illegal immigrants.
The group of 17, all from the same family, were detained by Thai police in March last year after illegally entering overland from Cambodia.
Two of the family's 13 children were born in custody.
The family, who use the name Teklimakan, have spent most of the past year in the main police immigration detention centre in Bangkok.
The group claimed to be Turkish and, while still in detention, were issued with passports by the Turkish Embassy and granted permission to travel to Turkey.
China insists the 17 detainees are Chinese Uygurs who should be returned to the northwest Chinese region of Xinjiang , according to court documents.
Hundreds of people have been killed in unrest in Xinjiang in the past two years, prompting a crackdown by Chinese authorities and small numbers of Uygurs to try to flee the country.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, have travelled clandestinely through Southeast Asia en route to Turkey.
Thai National Security Council secretary-general Anusit Kunakorn said China and Turkey had asked Thailand for help in repatriating those detained.
"Both China and Turkey have asked for our help in repatriating Uygurs," Anusit said.
"Their nationalities need to be verified. Thailand is just on the receiving end."
There were 355 Uygurs currently detained in Thailand, police Lieutenant Colonel Jitti Sangthong from Thailand's immigration bureau told the court.
Later, he told reporters that members of Thailand's National Security Council were due to travel to China in the next few days to discuss the "sensitive issue" after an earlier trip to Turkey.
There was palpable tension yesterday in the Bangkok South Criminal Court where the case of the 17 suspected Uygurs was being heard. Representatives from the Turkish and Chinese embassies assembled to hear the case sat far apart.
"These are Turkish citizens. They have Turkish passports. These people want to go to Turkey and we've already said they can," said Ahmet Idem Akay, a Turkish diplomat who attended the hearing.
Chinese officials who attended the hearing declined to comment.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she was not aware of the details of the case, but that China was willing to increase cooperation with Thailand, Turkey and other nations to fight illegal immigration.
The court will decide on Friday whether to order the group's release. Under Thai law, court approval must be sought for detention periods over seven days.
Rights groups, including the New York-based Human Rights Watch, have urged the Thai government not to forcibly repatriate the Uygurs to China, adding that many face severe persecution, including the threat of arrest and torture.
