Space Travel News  
China opposed to release of Uighurs by US

by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) Nov 2, 2009
Beijing expressed anger Monday over the US release of six Chinese Muslim Uighurs to the Pacific island nation of Palau, saying they were terrorist suspects who should be repatriated to China.

"We are strongly dissatisfied and staunchly opposed to the US side handing over these suspected terrorists to a third country against the insistence of the Chinese side," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement.

"These people should have been handed to China to be dealt with in accordance with the law.... We have raised solemn representations with the US side."

The six Uighurs, who arrived in Palau on Sunday, were released after seven years at Guantanamo Bay in the latest step in US President Barack Obama's struggle to close the controversial prison.

The men had been cleared by the previous George W. Bush administration after it decided to no longer treat them as "enemy combatants," the Justice Department said.

The former prisoners were among 22 Uighurs -- a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority from China's remote Xinjiang region -- living at a self-contained camp in Afghanistan when the US-led invasion of the country began in October 2001.

Amid US fears that they could face torture if returned to China, five were released to Albania in 2006, and four were resettled in Bermuda this year. The others have remained in legal limbo.

Palau, one of a handful of countries that recognises Taiwan over Beijing, has agreed to take up to 12 Uighurs. Seven remain at Guantanamo, where 215 "war on terror" suspects are still held.

"China urges the US to implement the UN Security Council's relevant resolutions and its international obligations on counter-terrorism," spokesman Ma said in the statement on his ministry's website.

"China also opposes any third country taking these terrorist suspects."

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
The Long War - Doctrine and Application



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Report: U.S. must do more on bioterrorism
Washington (UPI) Oct 23, 2009
The United States needs to do more to counter bioterrorism threats to its own interests and international security, says a report from the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. The commission's interim report lauded President Barack Obama's response so far to the dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear ... read more







The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement