THAILAND, CHINA STEP UP ACTION ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Beijing, 3 Rabi’ul Awwal 1436/25 December 2014 (MINA)– China and Thailand have agreed to step up cooperation on illegal immigration and terrorism, China’s state media reported Wednesday.
In a joint statement, they said defense officials of both countries would meet to “enhance cooperation in the prevention and the eradication of illegal immigration, drug trafficking, terrorism and transnational crimes.”
The 20-clause communique also carried a paragraph in which Thailand recognized China’s contribution to combating human trafficking, Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
Around 200 Uighurs from China’s Xinjiang autonomous region have been identified in Thailand after being rescued from a people smuggling camp.
Muslim Uighurs fleeing unrest in Xinjiang have been travelling to Southeast Asia for the last two years, the Bangkok Post reported, passing overland into Laos or Myanmar and onwards to Thailand and elsewhere.
The joint statement follows Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s visit to Beijing, which ended Tuesday (23/12).
China last week offered more than $3 billion in loans and aid to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos. (T/P010/P3)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
