The United States (US) issued a security alert to its citizens in Thailand on Friday, warning of the possible risk of reprisal attacks after the kingdom deported dozens of Uyghurs to China.

The Thai government has suffered intense criticism from around the world for its decision to hand over at least 40 Uyghurs, who were flown by special plane to China’s northwestern Xinjiang region on Thursday.

Beijing is accused of committing human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including the incarceration of around one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. It denies the allegations.

The bulletin from the US embassy in Bangkok noted that the last deportation of Uyghurs from Thailand in 2015 was followed by a bomb attack on a shrine in the Thai capital that killed at least 20 people.

US citizens should “exercise increased caution and vigilance, especially in crowded locations frequented by tourists due to the potential for increased collateral risk”, the warning said.

“Similar deportations have prompted violent retaliatory attacks in the past,” it added.

The Uyghurs had spent years languishing in Thai detention facilities after fleeing China more than a decade ago.

Thailand, which forcibly deported 109 Uyghurs to China in 2015, had repeatedly denied the existence of plans for a new round of deportations.

But rights groups warned in recent weeks that Bangkok was preparing to deport a group of 48, and early on Thursday they were put onto a flight to Kashgar.

https://guardian.ng/news/us-issues-thailand-security-alert-after-uyghur-deportations/