Thailand’s government repatriated dozens of Uyghur Muslims to China from a Bangkok detention centre on Thursday, a move confirmed by Beijing, Anadolu has reported. The country’s national police commissioner, Police General Kitrat Phanphet declined to comment on the reports, insisting that it is a “security matter” and “more time is needed” before he could provide details said local broadcaster Thai PBS.

The development comes weeks after Thailand police said that they did not have any plans to deport 48 Uyghur ethnic community members back to China.

Confirming the deportation, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing that “40 Chinese nationals” who had been involved in illegal immigration were repatriated from Thailand to China on Thursday. The repatriation, he claimed, was carried out in accordance with the laws of both China and Thailand, as well as international practices.

“It is part of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries to combat human trafficking and other cross-border criminal activities, and the legal rights of the individuals involved are fully protected,” the spokesman added.

The detainees have reportedly been detained under “inhumane” and “degrading” conditions in Thailand since 2014 after fleeing Xinjiang. Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch (HRW), previously urged Thailand not to repatriate the Uyghurs forcibly as they face a high likelihood of severe human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and torture, if returned to China.