A delegation from the Thai government will visit China this week to check on the welfare of dozens of Uyghur refugees, after their controversial deportation drew global condemnation and US travel sanctions on local officials.

Canada and the United States offered to resettle 48 ethnic Uyghurs held in detention in Thailand over the past decade, sources told Reuters, but Bangkok took no action for fear of upsetting China, where they were covertly deported last week.

The State Department said it was “combating China’s efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China.”