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Palau president invites more Uighurs from Guantanamo

10/02/10February 9, 2010

Five Uighurs of a total of 22 who were wrongfully arrested in Afghanistan in 2001 remain in Guantanamo Bay. This week, the President of Palau told journalists his country was willing to accept them. Six other Uighurs have already been living on the Pacific island since last year. However, they have their hopes set on Australia.

https://p.dw.com/p/LzOL
Palau may be idyllic compared to Guantanamo but the Uighurs there hope eventually to get to Australia
Palau may be idyllic compared to Guantanamo but the Uighurs there hope eventually to get to AustraliaImage: DPA

From Guantanamo Bay to Palau. After eight years in detention in the infamous US prison, six Uighurs from China’s northwestern Xinjiang region found asylum in the South Sea Islands.

Having lived in tiny, isolated cells, they now have a spacious six-room house with a view of the Pacific.

Ahmad Tourson rarely goes out and does not like to talk about his time in Guantanamo.

“We sat in little cages in Guantanamo and could barely move,” he says. “We had no idea what was happening to other prisoners just five or six meters away. The time in Guantanamo was the darkest chapter of our lives.”

Arrested for 5,000 US dollars

The six were arrested in Afghanistan and handed over to the US army by armed bounty hunters for 5,000 US dollars a piece. They were making their way towards Turkey to escape persecution in China. They were later sent to Guantanamo as suspected terrorists.

It took their lawyer, George Clark, six years to get them out, despite the fact that “the United States military cleared these men in 2003. The Department of Justice cleared them after that. The courts have looked at their cases. Everybody agrees that they’re not only not a danger but as far as the terrorism aspect.

“These men have never committed any terrorist acts, they have never engaged in any sort of terrorist training, these men are not suicide bombers. You have to be careful about what’s reported – what’s reported is that they had military training but boy scouts shooting cans in the county dump have had more military training than these guys have.”

Humanitarian gesture angered China

For Palau’s head of state Johnson Toribiong, it was a humanitarian gesture to take in the Uighurs. US President Barack Obama thanked him personally and at the same time increased annual development aid to the island by over 50 million to 200 million US dollars.

However, China was angry. After the Uighurs arrived, two projects financed by Beijing were put on hold – one to build a hotel and the other to expand a ring road on the island.

Australia is hoped-for destination

In Palau, the six Uighurs have access to a translator, a social worker and a lawyer but only have temporary residence.

Adel Noori eventually wants to get to a bigger island. “We were scared about coming to Palau because China’s influence is very big in this region but we had no choice,” he says.

“We would feel safer in Australia. We just want to live in peace. Far from the threats of the Chinese government. We hope that we will find such a country.”

So far, the Australian government refuses to take them. China is Australia’s most important export market and trade partner. However, the application for asylum is apparently under consideration. Until a final decision is made, the Uighurs will be stranded in the middle of the South Seas.

Author: Andreas Stummer/act
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein