China will have to make a formal request to return two Uyghur men

Regarding the matter of returning two Uyghur men to China, Thailand has clarified that if China wishes to get these two individuals back, it must formally request extradition. Thailand's National Security Council chief Chaiyapruk Dongprapat stated on Wednesday, 4 November, 2026, that if China wants to recover these two men, it will have to make a formal request. These details have emerged at a time when concerns and fears are growing that sending these two individuals to China could lead to them facing torture or harassment.

In letters shared last week, both men requested not to be sent back to China. The two men, aged 26 and 35, are currently being held at the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok. They were released from prison at the end of October and have been staying in Thailand for more than a decade. In a letter shared by Peace Rights Foundation founder and former MP Kannavee Subsang, one Uyghur man wrote, "We fear being taken back by China every time. We are not terrorists."

National Security Council chief Chaiyapruk Dongprapat stated that his agency will not make a direct decision regarding the deportation of these two. He distinguished this matter from the case of 40 Uyghur men sent to China last year. He further added that this process will be undertaken by the courts and these men will be able to defend themselves. If the court rules in their favour, it is possible they may be sent to another country for resettlement. However, if the court rules against them, they will be extradited as per the treaty. He described this as a judicial process.

Human rights activists and some Thai politicians have recently expressed concern that these two men might be sent to China soon. In a statement on 3 November, 2026, opposition People's Party MP Sasinin Thamninthin said that Thailand is bound by local and international laws not to return any person to a country where they may face torture or inhumane treatment.

Sasinin Thamninthin further stated that while maintaining international relations is important, it should not be above human rights and the rule of law. She said that no one should be sent back to face risk merely because the government wants to end a problem. On the other hand, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning stated on Wednesday that China and Thailand's cooperation in fighting transnational crimes, including illegal immigration, is in accordance with the laws of both countries as well as international law and international practices. However, Mao Ning did not comment on whether China has sent an extradition request or not.

China has been constantly pressuring to bring back a group of 300 Uyghurs, who were intercepted by Thai authorities while heading towards the Thai-Malaysia border in 2014. China claims they are terrorists. These two men were also part of this Uyghur group who were fleeing from China. In 2014, Thai authorities intercepted more than 300 Uyghurs near the Malaysian border. Most of the women and children from this group were sent to Turkey by Thailand. Subsequently, in 2015, 109 people still held by Thailand were deported to China against their will, which led to international protest and an attack on the Thai Embassy in Turkey. For more than ten years, the Thai government had been delaying the decision regarding this group. In February 2025, 40 Uyghur men were sent back to China by Thailand, despite requests from Thai lawmakers and UN officials not to deport them.

The Uyghurs are a Turkic, majority Muslim ethnic group and are natives of Xinjiang in north-western China. After decades of conflict with Beijing over the suppression of religion and cultural identity, the Chinese government has initiated strict actions against the Uyghurs, which some Western governments have described as genocide.