Bangkok: “Phumtham-Thawee” led a media group to observe the living conditions of the Uighurs, with plans to meet the first group sent back in 2015. Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, along with Police Colonel Thawee Sodsong, Minister of Justice, Police General Roy Ingpairoj, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Thai delegation, departed from Military Airport 2, Wing 6 on March 18, 2025, on an Air Force plane to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China.
According to Thai News Agency, upon arrival in Xinjiang, the delegation will split into two groups due to the vastness of the region, which is three times the size of Thailand. This division aims to facilitate travel across the dispersed Uighur communities, which are located in various cities within the region, requiring journeys of 250-300 kilometers by car. The delegation’s agenda includes discussions with Islamic religious leaders at the Idgah Mosque and meetings with doctors treating Ui
ghurs. An evening discussion is also planned with Mr. Ma Xingrui, Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Mr. Phumtham expressed intentions to meet the 40 Uighurs sent back this time and requested to meet the group from the previous round. He emphasized the importance of allowing the Uighurs to choose their future freely and underscored the need to engage with all relevant sectors, including Islamic leaders and medical professionals, to understand the current situation. The delegation plans to meet Uighurs near Kashi, about 150-170 kilometers away, and if necessary, will use digital means to communicate with those located further afield. Mr. Phumtham also requested media access to Uighur homes to ensure transparency and understanding of their current conditions.
‘We want to look at the Uighurs as they are, to see how they have changed, including how they are being trained in vocational skills, to see how they are different now than 10 years ago,’ Mr. Phumtham stat
ed. He noted that the blurring of Uighurs’ identities is a choice made by them to return to normalcy.
