Thailand acted in accordance with human rights when it sent 40 Uyghurs back to China last week, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters on Monday.

Rights groups criticized the Thai government for sending the Uyghurs, a persecuted Muslim minority, back to China, where they face the risk of torture and imprisonment.

The Thai government violated domestic and international law by forcibly sending at least 40 Uyghur men to China, where they could face torture, arbitrary detention, and long-term imprisonment.

Thai officials have defended their deportation of 40 Uyghurs to China despite warnings the ethnic minorities may possibly face torture or death. The country's unelected government, under the influence of convicted swindler and Sinophile Thaksin Shinawatra,

US Representative Chris Smith, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has strongly criticized the Thailand government for deporting 45 Uyghur refugees back to China. This action has sparked widespread condemnation from the international community.