Deported Uighurs told UN of fears of China return
Ethnic Uighur asylum-seekers forcibly repatriated over the weekend had warned the UN refugee agency they feared long jail terms or even the death penalty if they were sent back to China, according to statements seen by The Associated Press.
The 20 Uighur Muslims had fled to Cambodia in search of asylum after witnessing and documenting violent ethnic riots in the restive western Chinese region of Xinjiang this summer that left nearly 200 dead. They were put on a plane from Phnom Penh to Beijing on Saturday under heavy pressure from China, despite strong protests from the US and the United Nations.
China has called the Uighurs suspected criminals, and on Monday defended the forced returns, saying it was in line with immigration law.
"The Chinese side received the above-mentioned people according to usual practice," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a faxed statement. Jiang refused to say where the Uighurs are being held and whether they had been charged with any crime.
Cambodia said it expelled the Uighurs because they had illegally entered the country. It has since been publicly censured by the US, which warned the deportations could hurt their bilateral relations.
But it may have helped cement Cambodia's ties with China, a key ally and major donor to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation. On Monday, China signed over $1.2 billion in aid to Cambodia during a visit there by Vice President Xi Jinping. The assistance, including 14 agreements for grants and loans, ranges from help in building roads to repairing Buddhist temples.
Comments