The AP’s vast network of sources and collaborative reporting led to the first report on detained Uyghurs in Thailand who face deportation and persecution in China.
The story started with a tip to investigative reporter Dake Kang from a source who was among the first to hear about deportation threats faced by Uyghurs detained in Thailand.
The men were first detained while fleeing China more than a decade ago. Activists feared human rights abuses if they were deported to China, where hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs were swept into camps and prisons, with former detainees reporting abuse, disease, and in some cases, death.
Reporting the story was challenging: the group was being held in restrictive conditions, and contact with relatives, lawyers, or international organizations, much less journalists, was prohibited.
Through the source, AP nevertheless managed to obtain exclusive access to recordings and records, as well as the first copy of a letter written by the group of Uyghurs pleading for help.
After the initial tip, Bangkok-based China reporter Huizhong Wu moved quickly, tapping into China reporting expertise and knowledge of Uyghurs in Thailand to begin interviewing relatives of the detained men.
Bangkok reporters Jintamas Saksornchai and Grant Peck also contributed, receiving intel and confirmations of details from Thai sources.
The close collaboration between investigations, the Beijing bureau, and the Bangkok bureau allowed AP to get the story out first, ahead of the competition. The team followed it quickly with comprehensive detail and context.
The judges were impressed with the group’s fast reporting, seamless teamwork, and ability to obtain evocative photos.
For a scoop that drew attention to a group languishing in detention for more than a decade without being charged, Dake Kang, Huizhong Wu, Jintamas Saksornchai, and Grant Peck earn this week’s Best of AP — Second Winner.