A video of Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been shared in Chinese-language social media posts that claim it shows Paetongtarn saying she is ready to rescue Chinese citizens from Myanmar if Beijing gives the order.

Authorities in Thailand on Wednesday denied there was an immediate plan to send back to China 48 Uyghurs held in the Southeast Asian country's detention centers after United Nations experts warned that the group could face torture if they return.

US President Donald Trump's incoming secretary of state is among those calling for Thailand not to deport a group Uyghurs to China, where it is feared they would face persecution.

Thailand has denied plans to deport 48 Uyghur men to China after UN experts warned of torture risks. The men have reportedly been detained since 2014 after fleeing China’s Xinjiang province. Human rights groups and Thai senators are urging the government to avoid deportation and ensure proper handling of the case amid growing international concerns.

Thai authorities have denied any immediate plan to send 48 Uyghur refugees back to China after UN experts urged a stop. Rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses of Uyghurs, a mostly Muslim minority in China.

A group of 48 ethnic minority Muslims who fled Chinese persecution have been held in Thailand for almost 11 years

Chinese actor Wang Xing shakes hands with a Thai police officer after being assisted in his return to the country, after being kidnapped into one of the telecom fraud centers, at a police station in Thailand-Myanmar border's Mae Sot district, Tak province, Thailand, January 7, 2025. Royal Thai Police/Handout via REUTERS

The surprise statement by new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging Thailand not to deport 40-plus Uyghurs who are currently being detained in Thailand to China has shone a much-needed spotlight on these illegal entrants.

In this photo provided on condition of anonymity, Uyghur detainees who say they are facing deportation back to China, where they fear persecution and even death, sit in an immigration detention center in Bangkok, Thailand, in February 2024.

At the same meeting, authorities from Myanmar, China, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam agreed to arrest leaders of criminal syndicates, dismantle telecom fraud centres, and "make every effort" to coordinate the rescue of those trapped there, according to CCTV.

Beijing says the Uyghurs are jihadists ... knowledge of the matter told the AP that all of the Uyghurs detained in Thailand submitted asylum applications to the United Nations High Commissioner ...

UN experts have called on Thailand to immediately halt the deportation of 48 Uyghurs to China, citing risks of torture and inhumane treatment. The group, detained since 2014, faces severe health challenges and lacks legal representation or family access,