The U.S. is “committed to combating China's efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China, where they are subject to torture and enforced disappearances,“ the State Department said in a statement.
While the United States has imposed sanctions in the past on Thailand, including by suspending military aid after military coups, and has targeted Thai individuals and companies for violating sanctions on third countries, a leading Southeast Asia expert said he could not recall sanctions on Thai government officials, who were not named in Rubio's announcement.
“I am immediately implementing this policy by taking steps to impose visa restrictions on current and former officials for the Government of Thailand responsible for, or complicit in, the forced return of 40 Uyghurs from Thailand on February 27,“ Rubio said in his statement.
Thailand responded on Saturday that it had received reassurances from China “over the safety of the Uyghurs and will continue to follow up on the well-being of this group.”
This week, the European Parliament also condemned Thailand over the deportations, calling on the EU to use free trade agreement negotiations as leverage to stop future such moves.
“They might want to lay low,“ he said. “They already have a target on their back by having the 11th-largest trade surplus with the U.S... It’s not clear Thailand is out of the woods yet when Trump imposes reciprocal tariffs in early April.”
The Washington-based Campaign for Uyghurs advocacy group commended Rubio’s move and the Trump administration in a statement, saying it “sends a strong message that those who enable the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights abuses will face consequences for their crimes.”
China denies allegations of abuse and forced labor toward Uyghurs, arguing it has established “vocational training centers” in recent years to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism.
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