Thai consulate in Istanbul attacked

YEREVAN, JULY 9, ARMENPRESS. The Thai Embassy in Ankara is on alert after the Thai consulate in Istanbul was attacked by a mob angry with Thailand's decision to extradite Uighur asylum seekers back to China. As Armenpress informs citing “channelnewsasia.com,” an angry mob attacked Thailand's honorary consulate in Istanbul late Wednesday (Jul 8) over the Thai government’s decision to extradite Uighur asylum seekers to China.

Thailand's Foreign Ministry said no one was injured in the attack, while the Thai Embassy in Ankara has asked around 1,300 Thai citizens living in Turkey to be on alert. According to local media reports, the consulate section of the Thai Embassy in Turkey will be closed on Thursday.

In March 2014, more than 200 Uighurs were arrested at a rubber plantation in Songkhla province for illegally entering the country.

"Thailand sent around 100 Uighurs back to China yesterday," Colonel Weerachon Sukhondhapatipak, deputy government spokesman, told reporters on Thursday."Thailand has worked with China and Turkey to solve the Uighur Muslim problem. We have sent them back to China after verifying their nationalities."

A group of more than 170 Uighurs were identified as Turkish citizens and were sent to Turkey, said Weerachon, adding another nearly 100 were identified as Chinese and sent back to China and 50 more still needed to have their citizenship verified.

Rights groups have expressed concern over Thailand's decision to send the Uighurs back to China fearing they could face ill-treatment and even torture. "It is very shocking and disturbing that Thailand caved in to pressure from Beijing," as Armenpress reports, Sunai Phasuk, Thailand researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Reuters.

Weerachon told reporters that Thailand had asked China to look after the safety of the Uighurs sent back. "China said it would look after the safety of these people," he said. China's treatment of the Uighurs is an important issue for many Turks who see themselves as sharing a common cultural and religious background. Turkey, already hosts a large Uighur community. China is home to about 20 million Muslims spread across its vast territory, only a portion of whom are Uighur.

Anti-Chinese sentiment is on the rise in Turkeyover the past few weeks after allegations that China banned Uighurs from conducting proper religious practices during the holy month of Ramadan. The Chinese government has denied this allegation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced that the religiousrights of all minorities are protected in their country.