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Parliamentary question - E-004830/2016Parliamentary question
E-004830/2016

VP/HR — Unlawful detention of Uyghur refugees in Thailand

Question for written answer E-004830-16
to the Commission (Vice-President/High Representative)
Rule 130
Ilhan Kyuchyuk (ALDE)

At least 70 refugees from China's Muslim Uyghur community are currently imprisoned in detention centres across Thailand's capital, some of them having been there for more than two years already. The detainees have endured inhumane treatment at the hands of prison staff, being denied access to adequate healthcare, food and legal recourse. On 31 May 2016, 15 detainees began a hunger strike to draw attention to their situation.

In 2013, Parliament adopted a resolution on EU-China relations, urging the Chinese Government to involve Uyghurs in governance issues, to respect their cultural and religious freedom and to put an end to all acts of repression. The growing outflow of Uyghurs seeking refuge abroad and the continued imprisonment of prominent Uyghur professor Ilham Tohti show that Parliament's efforts to raise this issue with China have been to no avail.

1. Is the VP/HR aware of the inhumane treatment of Uyghur refugees in Thai immigration detention facilities? If so, has the VP/HR raised this issue with the authorities in Bangkok?

2. Repression by the Chinese authorities remains the root cause of the outflow of Uyghurs from their homeland. Has the EU addressed this issue in its dialogues with China? If so, what has been the reaction of the latter?