By Cara Anna and Ben Blanchard
Scotsman
BEIJING has denied that £750 million in aid it gave to Cambodia was linked to the south-east Asian nation's deportation of 20 Muslims who had sought asylum there after fleeing ethnic violence in China's far west.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman yesterday insisted the aid package to Cambodia had "no strings attached".
Beijing has accused the Muslim Uighurs of being involved in ethnic rioting in July that pitted the minority group against the majority Han Chinese.
Cambodia deported the Uighurs on Saturday night, despite protests from the United States and the United Nations, whose refugee agency stationed people at the Phnom Penh airport in an attempt to physically stop the group's expulsion.
In statements to the UN refugee agency, the Uighurs said they had witnessed and documented the rioting – China's worst ethnic violence in decades – and that they feared lengthy imprisonment or even the death penalty if they were returned to China.
Chinese vice-president Xi Jinping, who arrived on a previously scheduled visit only hours after the Uighurs left, pledged the £750m to Cambodia on Monday and thanked the country for the deportations, a Cambodian government spokesman said.
The aid, including 14 agreements for grants and loans, ranges from help in building roads to repairing Buddhist temples.
Cambodia said it had expelled the Uighurs because they had entered the country illegally.
The Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman defended the deportations, called the handling of the Uighurs an "internal affair" and told reporters there had been "no strings attached" to the aid package.
"According to my knowledge, some are suspected of criminal cases," Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing yesterday. "Public security forces will handle the relevant outlaws. Their whereabouts, I have no information to offer you."
The UN's special raporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, expressed concern that the Uighurs could be abused.
Mr Nowak said Cambodia had violated its obligations under the world body's convention against torture.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights accused the Cambodian authorities of bowing to pressure and deporting the asylum seekers despite having given "strong assurances" it would be allowed to complete its investigation to determine their status.
The group of Uighurs had made the journey from China's far west through to Vietnam and then Cambodia with the help of a network of missionary groups. Two Uighurs fled before the group was forced to return to China.
Overseas activist groups say Uighurs in China have been rounded up in mass detentions since the summer's violence in the Xinjiang region, where tensions have long simmered between the minority Uighurs and the majority Han Chinese.
China has handed down at least 17 death sentences – mostly to Uighurs – over the rioting.
US-based Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, reviled by Beijing as a separatist, said Cambodia's deportation was "no doubt influenced by enormous Chinese pressure, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in aid".
China is Cambodia's largest source of foreign direct investment, having pumped more than £2.7 billion into the impoverished nation. It also funds projects ranging from roads and irrigation to a new parliament building.
Ms Jiang insisted China had attached no strings to its aid.
"China and Cambodia have been maintaining a comprehensive and co-operative partnership. We provide what aid we can to Cambodia, and without any conditions," she said.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman yesterday insisted the aid package to Cambodia had "no strings attached".
Beijing has accused the Muslim Uighurs of being involved in ethnic rioting in July that pitted the minority group against the majority Han Chinese.
Cambodia deported the Uighurs on Saturday night, despite protests from the United States and the United Nations, whose refugee agency stationed people at the Phnom Penh airport in an attempt to physically stop the group's expulsion.
In statements to the UN refugee agency, the Uighurs said they had witnessed and documented the rioting – China's worst ethnic violence in decades – and that they feared lengthy imprisonment or even the death penalty if they were returned to China.
Chinese vice-president Xi Jinping, who arrived on a previously scheduled visit only hours after the Uighurs left, pledged the £750m to Cambodia on Monday and thanked the country for the deportations, a Cambodian government spokesman said.
The aid, including 14 agreements for grants and loans, ranges from help in building roads to repairing Buddhist temples.
Cambodia said it had expelled the Uighurs because they had entered the country illegally.
The Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman defended the deportations, called the handling of the Uighurs an "internal affair" and told reporters there had been "no strings attached" to the aid package.
"According to my knowledge, some are suspected of criminal cases," Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing yesterday. "Public security forces will handle the relevant outlaws. Their whereabouts, I have no information to offer you."
The UN's special raporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, expressed concern that the Uighurs could be abused.
Mr Nowak said Cambodia had violated its obligations under the world body's convention against torture.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights accused the Cambodian authorities of bowing to pressure and deporting the asylum seekers despite having given "strong assurances" it would be allowed to complete its investigation to determine their status.
The group of Uighurs had made the journey from China's far west through to Vietnam and then Cambodia with the help of a network of missionary groups. Two Uighurs fled before the group was forced to return to China.
Overseas activist groups say Uighurs in China have been rounded up in mass detentions since the summer's violence in the Xinjiang region, where tensions have long simmered between the minority Uighurs and the majority Han Chinese.
China has handed down at least 17 death sentences – mostly to Uighurs – over the rioting.
US-based Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, reviled by Beijing as a separatist, said Cambodia's deportation was "no doubt influenced by enormous Chinese pressure, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in aid".
China is Cambodia's largest source of foreign direct investment, having pumped more than £2.7 billion into the impoverished nation. It also funds projects ranging from roads and irrigation to a new parliament building.
Ms Jiang insisted China had attached no strings to its aid.
"China and Cambodia have been maintaining a comprehensive and co-operative partnership. We provide what aid we can to Cambodia, and without any conditions," she said.
7 comments:
China's international policy has always supporting country who abuses human right such as Cambodia. During Pol Pot regime China knew that million khmers were killed but they say nothing.
Chinese were the one behind the killing field. They have threaten Pol Pot that if he didn't do what was told then he too will be eliminated. we have all sort of evidences to prove it like where do the guns, mine and other ammunition comes from? China off cause, as Khmer people don't even know how to make guns. This is true the same way as the viet is doing to Hun Sen now, "do as I say or I will kill you and your family". Hun Sen need to remember that wealth and power alone can not save your soul, it is love, compassion, respect and unity is everything in life! you must do the right thing right now before it is too late. Try to use all the monies that you have and set up a welfare system to support all the poor people.
Yes, Cambodia did a right things to deport the illegal Uighurs to China. By doing this is absolutely following the US's policy and its action that recently she deported bunches of young Khmer-American people back to Cambodia due to their minor crime committing or some offensives while they were in US. So all KI-media commentator, how do you think about USA action and Cambodia Action? is it same or not?
Khmer
No it is not the same : khmers in the US have obtained the permanent regidency after being accepted by the US as refugees.The Uighurs are illegally in Cambodia.
The word "no string attached" is the string attached in itself..
There is no such thing as free lunch. We have learned from the pass what happened to Cambodia when China gave Cambodia aid with the same warning: No string attached. Someone has to pay that "bill" and money do not come from trees, unless you sell the trees for money.
There is a saying in Cambodian: Bao Doss Neakna Bamroeur Neak Neung. It means that you are just being slaves to those who feed you. The CPP have applied that theory for many years with the local Cambodian voters. They have technically bribe voters for their ballots. Unfortunately the whole world also apply such a theory.
Doing someone a favor, is a favor that needs to be paid back with a favor.
Perhaps "no strings attached" in Chinese means : you do anything you want to do with my money, but you owe me the rest of your life," or there will be no monitoring mechanism to watch over how Cambodia will spend the donated money; hence corruption is not a problem?
5 Million Vietnamese illegally lives in Cambodia, Hun Sen blind eye don't even do anything, but 22 Uighurs and even babies, Hun Sen has no heart to let them live.
Hun Sen is the King of Dictatorship regime. Eneough is enough. This is his last chance for Regime.
Shall we vote him again in 2013?
Red-Ant.
To all Khmer compatriots, ladies and gentlemen
CHINA and the USA do not know how to rescue Cambodia from Vietnamese jaws?
In relation to Cambodia, CHINA is Zero achievement, every time Chinese start to move their men or policies to influence Cambodia, the Vietcong/NVA punch in the Chinese nose first all the times.
Now the ECCC in Cambodia is indirectly control by Vietnamese government through their puppet Mr. Hun Sen/CPP government. The ECCC is charging former CHINA clients Mr. Khieu Samphan, Mr. Nuon Chea, Mr. Ieng Sary and his wife Mrs. Ieng Thirith as GENOCIDE crimes against the ethnic Vietnamese and the Cham in Cambodia. What is CHINA GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT?
BESIDE BRING MORE MONEY TO BUY Mr. Hun Sen/CPP government and perhaps to robe the whole of Cambodia through land development, ripping for Vietnam to take over again and again CHINA can not do anything to save Cambodia from Vietnam colonization.
CHINA WAS THE MAIN SUPPORTER OF KHMER ROUGE who is their clients now charging as genocide. Whereas the Vietnamese clients such as Hun Sen, Chea Sim, Heng Samrin, Hor Nam Hoang, Keat Chhon, Sam Kar, Sar Kheng, Men Sam An and much more who also GENOCIDED millions of Khmers are laughing at CHINA, USA, UN, EU, ECCC all the way to their own individual’s banks.
At this stage USA do not want to save Cambodia from Vietnam swallowing, so what CHINA must do is to wake up quickly by allying themselves with USA the same way as Mr. Deng Xao Ping did with Mr. Ronald Reagan in 1980’s and rearmed the ex- Khmer Rouge soldiers again to save Cambodia from extinction.
The condition must be attached onto those ex-Khmer Rouge troops, that those troops must be control and lead by ex-anti Vietnamese guerrilla’s leaders similar to the recipient of American Silver Cross Medal, Major Sergeant SARUN SAR of the American Special Force and many more of that types are waiting around the world and inside Cambodia to bring Vietnam and Hun Sen/CPP government to respect the 23rd October 1991 Paris Peace Agreement once more time.
Vietnamese government through their puppet HUN SEN had cheated the CHINESE GOVERNMENT, the UNTAC, the USA administrative and the whole Khmer Rouge organization by urging the Khmer Rouge to lay down their arm before 1993 and now control them like slave and master.
Now a day what CHINA hoping is to buy out HUN SEN and the whole CPP government with their money, so CHINA can have influence in Cambodia.
Vietnamese will not let HUN SEN go off their hooks so easily like CHINA wanted, if HUN SEN do want to escape from Vietnamese jaws, he will receive the same fate as his in-law former police crook-murderer Gen. HOK LUNDY.
Vietnam only allow Hun Sen as a bait to attract investment funds from China, so Vietnam who is Hun Sen master, can spare their own fund to buy 6 Sub-Marines and 12 Russian Airplanes to defeat CHINA once more time like in February 1979 from future China attack.
Vietnam at this moment will never let Chinese put a hand on Cambodia cake again, for inside Cambodia they had 100,000 NVA plus 5 million of Vietnamese illegal immigrants, and for augment sake who know how many Vietnamese militia in disguise among those 5 million illegal Vietnamese in Cambodia?
Therefore, the USA and the CHINA were manipulated by Vietnamese government again and again until they took all the South East Asian markets. Recently they took Laos, Cambodia and perhaps Thailand soon when the opportunity arises.
Vietnam smartly took Laos, Cambodia from CHINA and from the USA, and CHINA never dares to challenge Vietnam for CHINA and USA are always incapable to defeat Vietnamese hypocrisy in war or in politics, so CHINA and USA have no choice, but to unite like in 1980’s to stop Vietnam from swallowing Cambodia and to stop Vietnam expansionist strategy toward Thailand too.
CHINA CAN NOT BUY VIETNAMESE OR HUN SEN/CPP GOVERNMENT OUTRIGHT. CHINA and USA ARE THE LOOSERS TO VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST’S GOVERNMENT WITHOUT KNOWING IT, WHAT IS A SHAME!!!
Kulen Monorom
(The rice farmer’s son)
Post a Comment