The repatriation of illegal smugglers agreed by China and Thailand according to relevant international conventions and bilateral treaties is rational and legitimate, the spokesperson of the Chinese delegation to UN at Geneva said on Monday in a press release.
According to the spokesperson, for a period of time, China and Thailand have found that some Chinese citizens of ethnic minority groups went to Thailand through various channels and illegally stayed there.
The spokesperson said that joint investigation shows that those are illegal smugglers and migrants.
"Some of them hold forged travel documents, some are forcibly taken abroad, and some have stated openly that they want to go to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson noted that the repatriation is normal cooperation between countries on combating illegal smuggling and migration, which is also due international responsibility and obligation of all countries.
"Illegal smuggling and migration by holding falsified passports or by other means is a widely-recognized crime, which severely undermines the normal international order of exit and entry," the spokesperson said, adding that the international community should make joint efforts in combating illegal migration and smuggling through international cooperation in accordance with relevant international conventions and laws.
"We oppose some foreign governments and organizations, which refer to those illegal migrants as 'refugees' without any ground, wantonly criticize the normal law enforcement cooperation on combating illegal migration between China and Thailand, and even politicize this issue," the spokesperson noted.
As for how China will deal with the above-mentioned illegal migrants, the spokesperson said that it is China's consistent policy that suspects of severe crimes will be investigated and dealt with fairly, while those not guilty of criminal acts or only involved in minor offenses will be properly resettled.
"I believe it has been noted that the Associated Press recently quoted a Thai national security official who had just visited China as saying that over 100 Chinese illegal migrants repatriated to China have been treated well at a rehabilitation center, and some were being investigated for their suspected involvement in terrorism," the spokesperson said.
