Human Rights Watch has called on the Thai government to stop forcing political dissidents who sought safety in Thailand to return to their home countries, where they could face persecution, torture, or death. The group analyzed 25 cases that occurred in Thailand between 2014 and 2023, highlighting violations of international law by Thai authorities in expelling dissidents who were registered with the United Nations as refugees. This situation primarily affected dissidents from countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and China, leading to cases of abduction, forced disappearances, or killings.
The report also noted that countries like Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam cooperated with Thailand to spy on Thai dissidents who had fled their homeland to avoid political repression. Human Rights Watch described this cooperation as a form of transnational repression, where foreign dissidents were traded for critics of the Thai government living abroad. In response to the group’s findings, the Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson emphasized Thailand’s commitment to humanitarian principles, including protecting asylum-seekers and refugees from facing persecution or endangerment in their home countries.
Thailand’s Foreign Ministry recently ratified the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance, set to take effect in June. While seen as a positive step, Human Rights Watch stressed the need for Thailand to back up its words with actions, particularly by investigating cases of enforced disappearances and providing justice to the families of those affected. The group called on Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s administration to launch an investigation into allegations of harassment, surveillance, and forced returns of asylum seekers and refugees.
The report cited cases of Thai activists in Laos and Cambodia who disappeared or were killed under mysterious circumstances, with most cases remaining unresolved or unprosecuted. The practice of transnational repression, where governments cooperate to silence dissent either unilaterally or through host country institutions, was highlighted as a growing phenomenon. Freedom House warned that more governments globally are using transnational repression to silence opposition, often with the help of host country authorities to deport individuals back to their home countries against their will.
Dr. Francesca Lessa, an associate professor in International Relations at University College London, drew parallels between the current situation in Southeast Asia and past instances in Latin America where autocratic leaders worked together to eliminate political opponents on each other’s soil. The targeting of opposition and dissent by autocratic governments as a threat to their power and the need for elimination were emphasized. The practice of transnational repression, seen as becoming normalized, highlights the importance of protecting human rights and upholding international law to prevent violations of refugees and asylum-seekers seeking safety.
