9 July 2015
Riot police use pepper spray to push back a group of Uighur protesters who try to break through a barricade outside the Chinese Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, June 9. 2015
Protesters in Ankara were hit with pepper spray after pushing a police barricade
Turkish police have fired pepper spray at pro-Uighur demonstrators outside the Chinese embassy in Ankara.
It comes after protesters attacked the Thai consulate in Istanbul following the deportation from Thailand of about 100 Uighurs to China.
Rights groups have criticised such deportations, saying Uighurs face persecution in China.
Turkey has seen growing anger at Chinese discrimination against Uighurs, who are ethnically Turkic Muslims.
But China has said it respects the freedom of Muslim beliefs.
On Thursday, close to 100 people were dispersed by pepper spray outside the Chinese embassy in the Turkish capital after a barricade was knocked down.
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Uighurs already living in Turkey responded angrily, smashing windows at the Thai consulate in Istanbul
Thai officials said protesters stormed their compound in Istanbul late on Wednesday night. No injuries were reported.
The Royal Thai Embassy in Turkey advised Thais in Turkey to not to show the national symbol or flag in public, to avoid protest venues and to “refrain from mentioning or arguing with the Turkish” on the issue of Uighurs.
On Thursday, the Thai government confirmed that about 100 Uighurs had been sent back to China the day before.
Government spokesman Weerachon Sukondhapatipak said Thailand had verified that the Uighurs were Chinese nationals before returning them, but it is unclear how their nationality was confirmed.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said: “If we don’t do it this way, then how would we do it?
“Or do you want us to keep them for ages until they have children for three generations?”
