Bangkok: The Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that no third country has informed him that it is waiting to take back 40 Uighurs. He acknowledged that while some countries expressed interest in repatriating them 11 years ago, no further requests have been made since. He stressed that such requests are a matter for governments to coordinate and cannot be facilitated by politicians who have not previously been in office.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Rasme Chaleechan, the Assistant Minister to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressed claims that a third country was ready to accept the 40 Uighurs, confirming these assertions were inaccurate. He explained that for a country to genuinely express willingness to accept the Uighurs, it must formally communicate its intentions to the Thai government through official channels such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Thai embassy in the respective country. To date, no country has undertaken such action.
Chaleechan further noted that although some countries showed interest in the past, particularly around the time when some Uighurs were deported 11 years ago, no official letters of intent have been received since, except from China.
The Assistant Minister reiterated that the repatriation of Uighurs is strictly a government-to-government issue. He clarified that collaboration through international organizations like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), or engagement by politicians not currently in government or any non-governmental organizations, is not feasible since the process requires direct government involvement.