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ith reference to the cartoon published on page 7 of The Jakarta Post on July 11, 2015, regarding the return of irregular migrants from Thailand to China, I wish to make the following clarification.

Since March 2014, more than 300 Uighurs have entered Thailand illegally. The government of China has requested that the Royal Thai government repatriate this group of migrants as they may have been involved in criminal acts in China. The Royal Thai government has asked the Chinese government to send evidence of nationality verification and relevant criminal records for Thailand'€™s consideration.

The Royal Thai government has carefully considered all relevant evidence from every party involved, and classified the migrants into three groups. First, a group of 172 migrants who have no criminal records and have indicated their wish to travel to Turkey and have been accepted for resettlement by the Turkish government. Second, a group of 109 migrants for whom the Royal Thai government has received evidence of criminal involvement and nationality verification from the government of China. The last group consists of approximately 60 migrants who remain under the Royal Thai government'€™s protection.

The Royal Thai government has considered this matter very carefully, taking into account humanitarian and human rights principles as well as Thailand'€™s international obligations.

According to the above mentioned findings, the Royal Thai government has proceeded as follows. On June 29, 2015, the Royal Thai government facilitated the departure of 172 migrants to Turkey. The group has since been successfully resettled in Turkey. On July 9, 2015, the Royal Thai government repatriated 109 illegal migrants, whose nationality had been verified as Chinese and evidence of their involvement in criminal activities had been sent by the government of China.

Currently, about 60 migrants for whom there is no evidence to suggest involvement in a criminal act are still under the protection and care of the Royal Thai government. The government will further consider appropriate and viable solutions for this group.

As for the concerns raised by some parties that those who have been repatriated may be subjected to severe and life threatening punishment, the Chinese government has provided assurance that they will be given fair treatment and safety. In addition, those not guilty of any criminal act will be provided with assistance in order to reintegrate into society as well as an allocation of land with which they can make a living.

The Chinese government has also expressed its readiness to invite representatives from the Royal Thai government for follow-up visits to monitor the condition of returned Uighurs. The National Security Council of Thailand will assemble an interagency team and will consider inviting representatives from relevant international bodies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to join the team during these visits.

'€” Khemrutai Khemmarat
First secretary (Information)
Royal Thai Embassy
Jakarta