Human Rights Watch Urges Thailand to Protect Chinese Dissidents

Human Rights Watch is urging the Government of Thailand to stop the forced return of four Chinese dissidents detained at the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok. The detainees—journalist Bai Zhaodong, rights advocate Tan Yixiang, Democracy Party member Zhou Junyi, and Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Xinyan—have all been recognized as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Thai authorities recently blocked Zhang Xinyan from boarding a July 8 flight to Vancouver, Canada, for refugee resettlement. Zhang has been held since May for an alleged visa overstay and is the subject of a Hong Kong police arrest warrant and reward for her alleged involvement in the unofficial Hong Kong Parliament initiative.

Rights advocates warn that the Government of China is increasing pressure on Bangkok to return these individuals ahead of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's official visit to China from July 16 to 20. While Thailand is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, Human Rights Watch asserts that the country is bound by non-refoulement principles under the UN Convention Against Torture and Thailand's own 2023 anti-torture law.