Rights groups have condemned Thailand's deportation of Uyghur detainees back to China where they fear persecution. (Reuters: Andrew RC Marshall/File)
In short:
The US has put sanctions on officials from Thailand after at least 40 Uyghurs were deported last month.
US and Canada had offered to resettle Uyghurs, but Thailand feared upsetting China.
What's next?
UN rights experts said they were at risk of harm and torture if deported to China.
The US has imposed sanctions on Thai officials for their role in deporting at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where the US says the Muslim group will face persecution.
The US State Department stated that it is "committed to combating China's efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China, where they are subject to torture and enforced disappearances."
The move appeared intended to discourage Thailand and other countries from such deportations.
In February, Thailand deported the Uyghurs, who had been detained for a decade, despite warnings from UN human rights experts that they were at risk of torture, and harm if returned.
Uyghur children play at a square where a propaganda poster showing Han Chinese and Uyghurs posing together with the words "Hotan City Unity New Village Unity Square" (AP: Andy Wong )
The US-based Uyghur Project advocacy group welcomed the sanctions but called them "cold comfort" for the 40 deported Uyghurs.
"The international community failed miserably in upholding basic norms for over a decade while these men languished in detention for committing no crime," said the Associate Director of the Uyghur Project, Peter Irwin, told the ABC.
Mr Irwin also urged Australia to make a resettlement offer to Thailand to ensure the remaining Uyghurs are quickly brought to safety.
Earlier this month the Reuters news agency reported that Canada and the United States offered to resettle 48 ethnic Uyghurs, but Bangkok feared upsetting China.
A watchtower on a high-security facility near what is believed to be a re-education camp where mostly Muslim ethnic minorities are detained, in China's Xinjiang region. (AFP: Greg Baker)
Since 2017, Chinese authorities have waged what they call a "people's war on terror" aimed at stamping out alleged extremism among Uyghurs.
At least 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities are estimated to have been detained extrajudicially in detention camps, which Beijing says are vocational training centres.
Thailand defends itself
Thailand has defended the deportations, saying that it acted in accordance with laws and human rights obligations.
Uyghurs are worried about deportations and possibly being jailed or even torture and death. (Reuters: Murad Sezer)
"I am immediately implementing this policy by taking steps to impose visa restrictions on current and former officials for the Government of Thailand responsible for, or complicit in, the forced return of 40 Uyghurs from Thailand on February 27," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in his statement.
Thailand's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Rubio's announcement.
"In light of China's longstanding acts of genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Uyghurs, we call on governments around the world not to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China,"
Mr Rubio said.
The restrictions could extend to family members of people sanctioned.
Tensions between US, Thailand and China
Murray Hiebert, a leading regional expert with the South-East Asia program at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said he could not recall past US sanctions against Thai government officials.
He noted that Thailand can be very sensitive to criticism, but its reaction could be softened by US President Donald Trump's tariff threats against countries with high trade surpluses with the US.
"They might want to lay low," he said.
"They already have a target on their back by having the 11th largest trade surplus with the US … it's not clear Thailand is out of the woods yet when Trump imposes reciprocal tariffs in early April."
Uyghur detainees previously said they feared persecution if forcibly deported back to China from Thailand. (AP)
Analysts say Washington has avoided taking tougher measures against Thailand in the past due to concerns that this might push its long-time ally closer to China.
Mr Rubio has reiterated that Beijing's treatment of the group had amounted to "genocide and crimes against humanity."
China denies allegations of abuse and forced labour toward Uyghurs, arguing it had established "vocational training centers" in recent years to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism.
Elaine Pearson, Asia Director for Human Rights Watch, added, "the US government is taking concrete action to hold officials accountable for forcibly returning Uyghurs to China."
She added, "it should have a deterrent effect around the world, and gives some hope for protection to Uyghurs living in fear of forced deportation to China."
ABC/wires