Last three Uyghurs 'resettled'

The remaining three Uyghurs held at Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre have been transferred for resettlement in a third country, effectively ending a diplomatic saga which spanned more than a decade.

- PORAMET TANGSATHAPORN WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM

Their resettlement was confirmed by government and diplomatic sources, who told the Bangkok Post that the Uyghurs, who had been detained at the centre since 2014, have been transferred to Canada under an agreement between Thai and Canadian authorities.

The news came a few months after Thailand deported 40 Uyghurs detained at the centre to China, drawing widespread condemnation from Western governments and human rights group. The trio were not deported to China, because they held passports issued by Kyrgyzstan, sources close to the matter said.

The trio were part of a group of about 300 Uyghurs who were arrested by immigration authorities under Yingluck Shinawatra's administration near the Thai-Malaysian border on March 3, 2014.

In June 2015, 173 women and children were allowed by the National Council for Peace and Order who toppled the Yingluck regime in a coup to travel to Turkey to seek asylum.