A group of mainly Muslim refugees from western China has become the focus of an international tug-of-war in Thailand as Beijing flexes its diplomatic muscle and western powers warn Bangkok not to send them home.
China has stepped up pressure on Thai authorities to repatriate more than 400 Uighur refugees who have been detained as illegal immigrants in Thailand after fleeing the increasingly restive Chinese territory of Xinjiang.
But human rights groups, the US, Europe and the UN are urging the Thai government not to send the large group of migrants, including more than 60 children, back to China for fear they will face severe punishment.