The death of Aziz Abdullah, a Uighur detainee at Bangkok's Immigration Detention Centre, is the epitome of the government's mishandling of those escaping China's southwestern Xinjiang region as well as the Muslim minority group's long-forgotten plight on Thai soil.
The 49-year-old man died earlier this week of a lung infection. Despite claims by immigration authorities that they had taken good care of his health, rights activists said Abdullah had been seriously ill for more than three weeks but was not allowed to go to hospital until he finally collapsed. He was then taken to hospital but was soon pronounced dead. The tragedy prompted an outcry from rights advocates who are now urging the government to find humane solutions to end the group's suffering.
