Rights group urges Thailand to stop forcing dissidents to return to countries they fled for safety; many Cambodians at risk

An activist holds a photo of Thai dissident Wanchalearm Satsaksit during a rally in front of Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, June 8, 2020. Wanchalearm, has been abducted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, a human rights group said Friday, June 12, 2020 raising concern that a mysterious campaign targeting exiles for disappearance or death may have been revived. A leading international human rights organisation on Thursday, May 16, 2024, criticized the Thai government for helping its authoritarian neighbours by expelling political dissidents who fled to Thailand for safety and forcing them to return to their home countries. - AP

PHNOM PENH/BANGKOK (AP): Human Rights Watch urged the Thai government to stop forcing political dissidents who fled to Thailand for safety to return to their home countries, where they may face torture, persecution or death.

The international rights group analyzed 25 cases that took place in Thailand between 2014 and 2023. It said in the report Thursday that Thai authorities violated international law by expelling the dissidents, many of whom were registered with the United Nations as refugees and were awaiting resettlement in third countries.