AFP
PHNOM PENH - Amnesty International urged Cambodia Wednesday not to deport 22 Uighurs who are seeking UN refugee status in Phnom Penh, saying they risked torture at home in China.
The right group's appeal came after China warned Tuesday that UN refugee programmes "should not be a haven for criminals" and said the 22 Uighurs, including three children, were involved in crimes.
"Amnesty International understands that the Chinese government has formally requested the Cambodian authorities to send these asylum seekers back to China," Sam Zarifi, the group's Asia-Pacific director, wrote in an open letter to Cambodian Interior Minister Sar Kheng.
"We urge you not to return the 22 Uighur asylum seekers and to ensure that they have access to a fair asylum process," he said.
"Amnesty International believes that these Uighurs would be particularly vulnerable to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."
Cambodia's government says it is cooperating with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to interview the Uighurs to see if they can be granted asylum.
The group arrived at the UNHCR office after fleeing deadly unrest in northwest China's Xinjiang region in July, and their presence in Phnom Penh was first made public two weeks ago.
The July clashes between Xinjiang's Muslim Uighur community and China's majority Han ethnic group left 197 people dead and more than 1,600 injured, according to an official toll.
The right group's appeal came after China warned Tuesday that UN refugee programmes "should not be a haven for criminals" and said the 22 Uighurs, including three children, were involved in crimes.
"Amnesty International understands that the Chinese government has formally requested the Cambodian authorities to send these asylum seekers back to China," Sam Zarifi, the group's Asia-Pacific director, wrote in an open letter to Cambodian Interior Minister Sar Kheng.
"We urge you not to return the 22 Uighur asylum seekers and to ensure that they have access to a fair asylum process," he said.
"Amnesty International believes that these Uighurs would be particularly vulnerable to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."
Cambodia's government says it is cooperating with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to interview the Uighurs to see if they can be granted asylum.
The group arrived at the UNHCR office after fleeing deadly unrest in northwest China's Xinjiang region in July, and their presence in Phnom Penh was first made public two weeks ago.
The July clashes between Xinjiang's Muslim Uighur community and China's majority Han ethnic group left 197 people dead and more than 1,600 injured, according to an official toll.
9 comments:
Cambodia sure like to rescue outsiders and abuse its own people. They care so much for foreigners but treat Khmer so badly.
Deport all of them back to CHINA or risk financial cut off.These people are nothing but Muslim trouble makers.
why these hill tribe people come to cambodia to make trouble? why don't they go elsewhere?
Because now Cambodia is a country of criminals led by a bunch of tyrants or yuon slaves
hun is now being catch between west and east like sihanouk and polpot
Why judge them? You don't know them. They are people and have rights too. Just like you would to be, free.
People cannot judge people based on the their looks. They may be victims who are trying to run away from communist's rule the same way we, Khmer, run away from Pol Pot in the 1975-79 era. If we turn them over to China we, Cambodians are crual and, therefore, no different than the Thai.
The khmers seek refuge in Thailand in the 80 are innocent people,they did not kill any body but run from the advance of the viet army and the khmer rouge bandits,they were returned back in Cambodia buy the thais ( where was Amnesty International ? ). These people have been trouble makers in their country and some may be killers,criminals, they are not entitled to be refufees.
Just because the communist ruler in China accuse those people of being killers, criminals do not mean that it's true. Remember, if one ever lived under Pol Pot regime, they killed Khmer people under pretext that those people were working for the CIA, KGB etc... even those people knew nothing about the CIA, KGB. As China and Pol Pot were teacher and follower who would think they don't use false accusation as pretext to kill their own people.
8:04 AM,
It's your fault for running to Thailand despite knowing the fact that Thai are not friendly to Khmers and the same hold true for Khmers. Assuming that Thai have problems and they run to Cambodia for help, would Khmers welcome them with red carpet? I don't think so. Next time if you have to run away from Cambodia, go to Lao or Vietnam. I'm sure they will welcome you with red carpet.
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