Human rights group urges Thailand to stop forcing dissidents to return home

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — A leading international human rights organization has urged the Thai government to stop forcing political dissidents who fled to Thailand for safety to return to authoritarian home countries, where they may face torture, persecution or death. In a new report, Human Rights Watch said Thai authorities repeatedly violated international law by expelling the dissidents. The report, titled “We Thought We Were Safe,” analyzed 25 cases that took place in Thailand between 2014 and 2023. Many of the cases involved the forcible repatriation of Cambodians, with the suspected involvement of Cambodian security personnel. But the group also listed cases where dissidents from Vietnam, Laos and China were “tracked down and abducted,” or “forcibly disappeared or killed.”