China angered as Uighurs get new home

11 Jun 2009, 8:09 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Uighur exiles voiced relief after Palau offered to take 17 men of the Chinese minority jailed at Guantanamo Bay, but China condemned the move.

Uighur exiles voiced relief after Palau offered to take 17 men of the Chinese minority jailed at Guantanamo Bay, but China condemned the move and called for them to be sent back to Beijing.

In an unlikely twist to the men's inter-continental odyssey, the tiny Pacific island with a population of 20,000 agreed to US requests to accommodate the men who were detained during US-led military operations in Afghanistan.

American authorities cleared the Uighurs of any wrongdoing four years ago but they have been stuck in legal limbo ever since as no country other than China would agree to have them.

Washington refused to hand them over to China for fear they would suffer torture.

Xinjiang, a vast area that borders Central Asia, has about 8.3 million Uighurs, and many members of the mostly Muslim community say they have for decades suffered under Chinese political and religious persecution.

US lawmakers also shot down President Barack Obama's plans to resettle at least some of them in the United States, alleging they still posed a security risk.

Rebiya Kadeer, the Uighur leader-in-exile who lives near Washington, said she was delighted the "beautiful island nation of Palau" had accepted the men.

"It is a joy to know that a country has finally boldly stepped out wanting them at a time when many countries are not sure because of Chinese pressure."

Beijing, vexed by Washington's decision to send the Uighurs to Palau, on Thursday urged the United States to repatriate the Uighur "terrorist suspects" soon.

"China urges the US to implement the UN Security Council's relevant resolutions and its international obligations on counter-terrorism," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.

The United States should "stop handing over terrorist suspects to any third country so as to (repatriate) them to China at an early date".

The United States earlier repatriated five Uighurs to Albania, where they lived without incident and landed low-profile jobs such as making pizzas. China pressed Albania and other nations not to take in more of the Uighurs.

Kadeer said she did not believe the issue was settled, voicing hope the former Guantanamo detainees could eventually move to the West.

"Our hope is always that these Uighurs be released and resettled in a Western democracy where their human rights and freedoms are guaranteed," said Kadeer, who spent some six years in a Chinese prison and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Palau's President Johnson Toribiong said he wanted to let the men restart their lives as a "humanitarian gesture". But he said they would only "temporarily" resettle on the island.

Nury Turkel, a Uighur-American lawyer who is part of the men's legal team, voiced appreciation to Palau but said it was hardly ideal to send men from the mountains and deserts of China's Xinjiang to a remote island.

"It's good that they can walk freely, but the decision wasn't made looking at their future, such as whether they can integrate into a society where they don't have any cultural or linguistic links," Turkel said.

Amnesty International said the Palau deal raised more questions than it answered, including whether the men could be reunited with their families or receive support to adapt to their new home.

Obama has vowed to shut down the Guantanamo Bay camp, seen by many both at home and abroad as a symbol of excesses conducted in the name of his predecessor George W Bush's "war on terror".

The United States is finalising a $US200 million ($A249.31 million) package for Palau, which was under US administration until 1994. But State Department spokesman Ian Kelly denied any link with the transfer of the Uighurs.

Palau has little to lose in relations with Beijing - it is one of six Pacific island nations that recognise Taiwan rather than China.

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