[Today’s Prayer] 40 Uyghurs in 'Thailand Detention Camp': 'If we go to China, we could lose our lives'

Around 40 Uyghurs detained in Thailand have raised their voices, asking not to be deported as they are at risk of being forcibly repatriated to China after 11 years. Uyghurs are a Muslim minority group that mainly resides in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

According to the Associated Press on the 11th, 43 Uyghur men in a Thai immigration detention center sent an open letter urging the Thai government to stop preparing to deport them to China.

They said, "If we go to China, we could be imprisoned and lose our lives," and "We appeal to all international organizations and countries concerned about human rights to save us from this tragic fate."

Families and human rights groups also claimed that they would be subject to abuse and torture if repatriated to China.

These 43 were among the 300 or so people who were caught in Thailand, a transit point, while trying to escape from China to Turkey in March 2014.

Thailand forcibly repatriated 109 of them to China the following year. 173, including women and children, were sent to Turkey, while the remaining 53 were detained in Thailand and applied for asylum to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Five of them died, and five were caught while trying to escape and sentenced to prison.

Western countries, including the United States, have criticized China for persecuting Uyghurs by imprisoning them in forced labor camps. China, on the other hand, has been protesting, saying that human rights violations against Uyghurs are false.

Source: News

“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.” (Matthew 12:20-21)

God, we hear heartbreaking news that the Uyghur people are facing deportation to China after years of detention and suffering in Thailand.

Lord, the Uyghur people have lived in persecution and suffering for a long time, and as the detainees say, they are in the midst of an ordeal that could end in prison or even death if they go to China.

No one in the world can save or comfort the Uyghur people in this suffering, and we believe that only You can bring true freedom and salvation to the Uyghur people.

Lord, keep the global church, the Chinese church, and the Uyghur diaspora church awake in prayer, so that we do not turn a blind eye to their suffering. Let us pray even harder and share the gospel of Jesus Christ among the suffering people of Xinjiang.

May the Uyghur people experience the love of Jesus Christ in the midst of suffering, and may they know freedom and peace in Jesus Christ.

Praise God for His grace that He will not break the Uyghur people like a bruised reed, but will nurture them and rekindle the flame of resurrection among the Uyghur people like a dying wick. Praise the Lord that the suffering of the Uyghur people will become a message of comfort to all the nations!

Please use the suffering of the Uyghur people as a channel of salvation, so that they may become the Uyghur people who unite all peoples to the cross!