On Friday, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on an unspecified number of current and former Thai officials for their involvement in the deportation of at least 40 Uyghur men to China, despite concerns that they could face imprisonment or even death. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the immediate imposition of visa restrictions on those responsible for or complicit in the deportations. Although no Thai officials were named, the specifics of the visa restrictions were not detailed, but they could include denial of entry into the U.S. Uyghurs in Thailand fear deportation, persecution in China “We are committed to countering China’s efforts to pressure governments into forcibly returning Uyghurs and other groups to China, where they are subjected to torture and enforced disappearances,” Rubio stated. On Saturday, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had repeatedly clarified to concerned countries that China assured the men’s safety and that Thailand would monitor their well-being. “Thailand has a long-standing tradition of humanitarianism, particularly in assisting displaced persons from various nations for over half a century, and will continue to do so,” the ministry stated. Thailand’s ministers of defense and justice announced a trip next week to visit the men in China, with several Thai journalists invited to accompany them. The Uyghurs, a Turkic and predominantly Muslim ethnic group native to China’s far western Xinjiang region, have long clashed with Beijing over discrimination and the suppression of their cultural identity. In response, the Chinese government initiated a harsh crackdown on the Uyghurs, which some Western governments classify as genocide. In 2014, Thai authorities detained more than 300 Uyghurs fleeing China. By February of this year, 48 Uyghurs remained in Thai detention when authorities proceeded with their deportation, despite appeals from Thai lawmakers and international officials to halt the process. Rubio denounced the deportation “in the strongest possible terms,” stating that “Uyghurs have endured persecution, forced labor, and torture” in China. House China panel turns focus to plight of Uyghurs The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok, in Facebook posts, reported that 40 Chinese nationals who had been “smuggled” were repatriated to Xinjiang on a chartered flight and had “all returned home and reunited with their families after more than 10 years.” The embassy shared photos of the reunions, depicting scenes of families gathering over naans, nuts, and fruits. Rubio, a longtime critic of Beijing, was sanctioned twice by the Chinese government in 2020 for his advocacy of Uyghur rights and support for the people of Hong Kong.