The Uyghurs were detained after arriving in Thailand ten years ago on their way to Turkey. They were reportedly forced to sign voluntary deportation papers, ahead of repatriation to China where their co-ethnics suffer harsh repression in Xinjiang. Thailand is not a party to the UN Convention on Refugees.
The 69-year-old bishop of Chiang Mai was appointed by Pope Francis as successor to Card. Kriengsak Kovithavanij who had left the leadership of the archdiocese in June. A native of Samsaen, appointed bishop in 2009 by Benedict XVI, he has been leading the Catholic community in the Thai capital as apostolic administrator in recent months.
On the anniversary of the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, the former prime minister, who has transferred power to his son Hun Manet, calls for new law against those who undermine the country’s stability. Meanwhile, a former MP from a disbanded opposition party was killed in a mysterious ambush in the Thai capital, a few hours after crossing the border by bus.
Since the beginning of the conflict, at least 16,000 workers have come from India to replace the blockades in the West Bank and the Strip. Influx destined to increase thanks to targeted campaigns. In the north, farmers from Thailand are returning, among the migrants who have paid the most in terms of victims and kidnappings. From 165,000 to only 15,000 Palestinians working in Israel.
South Korea has introduced a voluntary repatriation programme for illegal migrants that would avoid expulsion and include a waiver on heavy fines. At the end of 2023, some 423,675 foreigners were staying illegally in the East Asian country out of more than 2.5 million. About 145,000 Thais, who are more than a third of all foreigners staying illegally, could benefit from the measure.
In recent weeks, clashes between Myanmar’s military and ethnic militias have intensified on the Thai border. Faced with renewed violence, Thailand has proposed a series of "informal" meetings to reboot the peace process. But representatives of the armed groups have not been invited, and the agenda is unclear. Divisions also remain within ASEAN over Myanmar’s junta.
