The secret deportation by Thailand of dozens of Uyghurs to China that has sparked international condemnation is a diplomatic win for Beijing and a snub to the United States and the United Nations, who had long warned that the men would face torture and imprisonment if they were returned home.

The US condemned “in the strongest possible terms” Thailand’s return of 40 Uygur men to China on Thursday and called for Beijing to provide regular access to verify their well-being. “As Thailand’s long-standing ally,

A China Southern Airlines plane took off from Don Mueang Airport at 4:48 a.m., with a destination marked “unspecified” on the Flightradar24 system and landed at Kashgar Airport, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, about six hours later. In Bangkok, the petition was dismissed.