Bangkok [Thailand] July 15 : Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed concerns towards Thailand over the possible deportation of four Chinese dissidents, with the rights group warning that Beijing is intensifying pressure on Bangkok to return political critics despite the risk of persecution.
According to HRW, at least four Chinese dissidents currently detained at Bangkok's Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre face possible deportation ahead of Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's scheduled visit to China from July 16 to 20.
"Successive Thai governments have found it easy to cast aside Thailand's international obligations to please Beijing," said Sunai Phasuk, senior Thailand adviser at Human Rights Watch. He urged Thai authorities to allow the detainees to travel to safe third countries instead of complying with China's demands.
The four detainees have all been recognised as refugees by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). They include former Caixin investigative journalist Bai Zhaodong, known for reporting on corruption and poverty in China; Tan Yixiang, a Catholic activist advocating for Tibetan and Uyghur rights; Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Xinyan, who is also wanted under Hong Kong's National Security Law; and Zhou Junyi, a member of the banned China Democracy Party.
HRW noted that Zhang was prevented from boarding a flight to Canada for resettlement on July 8 after Thai authorities arrested her over an alleged visa overstay. The organisation warned that all four face serious risks of persecution if returned to China.
The rights group highlighted Thailand's history of deporting Chinese nationals despite international concerns. In February 2025, Thai authorities returned 40 Uyghur men to China, while more than 100 Uyghurs were forcibly repatriated in 2015. HRW also cited the 2015 deportation of activists Dong Guangping and Jiang Yefei, who were later imprisoned in China on national security-related charges.
Although Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, HRW stressed that Bangkok remains bound by the international principle of non-refoulement under the UN Convention Against Torture and Thailand's 2023 anti-torture law, which prohibit returning individuals to countries where they face persecution or torture.