Beijing is using its growing clout to persecute Uighurs outside China's borders.
DECEMBER 21, 2009
By REBIYA KADEER
OPINION ASIA
Wall Street Journal
Cambodia's decision to deport the asylum seekers, who were in the process of applying for refugee status at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, is a reminder that Beijing's oppression of the Uighurs does not stop at China's borders. The Uighurs are a predominantly Turkic, Muslim people who live in East Turkestan (also knows as the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region). For decades they have been the victims of systemic human-rights abuses at the hands of the Chinese government.
Fearing further persecution, these 20 Uighurs had fled to Cambodia in November with the assistance of Christian aid groups. The Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry initially declared it would cooperate with the UNHCR regarding the asylum interview process, but, in an about-face with tragic consequences, two days later issued a proclamation of "illegal entry" by the 20 Uighurs. UNHCR officials had yet to finish reviewing their cases when the Uighurs were handcuffed and forcefully taken from UNHCR protection by Cambodian authorities. China's track record of mistreating repatriated Uighur refugees leads us to fear that they can expect even worse on Chinese soil.
There's little hope these deportees will receive fair trial: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesmen have already declared them to be criminals without offering any evidence to back up their claims (and despite the fact two of the Uighurs are children). China's insistence on the guilt of these Uighurs in the absence of proof is consistent with its treatment of other Uighurs detained after the July unrest in Urumchi, whom Chinese officials declared to be criminals prior to the start of any criminal trials.
Beijing leaned hard on Phnom Penh to secure the deportation of these Uighurs, because once free they would no doubt contradict the official version of the events of July 5, when security forces cracked down violently on Uighur protestors and unrest spread through the city of Urumqi. The government has portrayed the unrest solely as a criminal act carried out by a small group of violent Uighurs, ignoring the security forces' killings of Uighur protestors, the mass arbitrary detentions of Uighurs and the systemic human-rights issues that led Uighurs to engage in a peaceful protest on the afternoon of July 5. At least two of the recently deported Uighurs reported having witnessed security forces beating and killing Uighur protestors on July 5.
The Cambodian government must be held accountable for its act of complicity with the Chinese government. Cambodia is a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, but turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of the U.S. and other democratic countries on behalf of these Uighur asylum seekers. Phnom Penh's decision was no doubt influenced by enormous Chinese pressure, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and a reported $1 billion in foreign direct investment. Prime Minister Hun Sen has labeled China as Cambodia's "most trustworthy friend," and Cambodian officials were loathe to disappoint Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on the eve of his Dec. 20 visit to Phnom Penh.
The deportation of the Uighurs in Cambodia is a sign of China's increasing ability to resist international pressure regarding its human-rights violations. As China's economic influence grows throughout Asia and the world, so too does its diplomatic clout. Economies in Central, South and Southeast Asia are increasingly dependent on cooperation with China, as the Chinese market seeks to feed its ravenous need for the natural resources available in these nations. Governments of countries neighboring China are reluctant to take any action that would displease Chinese authorities, leaving Uighurs nowhere to flee.
The United States and other nations committed to the preservation of human rights must call upon China to provide the 20 repatriated Uighurs with due process of law and must continue to express concern about their situation despite China's protestations over what it terms "interference in its domestic affairs." During my time in a Chinese prison, my jailers often told me the world did not care about me or the Uighurs' struggle for freedom, but my treatment did improve when officials from the U.S. and other democratic countries campaigned for my release. If there is to be any hope for the safety and well-being of these Uighur asylum seekers, it is vital that world powers continue to press China regarding their welfare.
Ms. Kadeer is the president of the World Uighur Congress and the Uighur American Association.
DECEMBER 21, 2009
By REBIYA KADEER
OPINION ASIA
Wall Street Journal
The Cambodian government must be held accountable for its act of complicity with the Chinese government. Cambodia is a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, but turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of the U.S. and other democratic countries on behalf of these Uighur asylum seekers. Phnom Penh's decision was no doubt influenced by enormous Chinese pressure, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and a reported $1 billion in foreign direct investment. Prime Minister Hun Sen has labeled China as Cambodia's "most trustworthy friend," and Cambodian officials were loathe to disappoint Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on the eve of his Dec. 20 visit to Phnom Penh.On Saturday night under cover of darkness, a special Chinese plane departed from the military section of the Phnom Penh airport carrying 20 Uighur asylum seekers. For this group of men, women and children, this was the end of their failed effort to seek freedom from the Chinese regime.
Cambodia's decision to deport the asylum seekers, who were in the process of applying for refugee status at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, is a reminder that Beijing's oppression of the Uighurs does not stop at China's borders. The Uighurs are a predominantly Turkic, Muslim people who live in East Turkestan (also knows as the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region). For decades they have been the victims of systemic human-rights abuses at the hands of the Chinese government.
Fearing further persecution, these 20 Uighurs had fled to Cambodia in November with the assistance of Christian aid groups. The Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry initially declared it would cooperate with the UNHCR regarding the asylum interview process, but, in an about-face with tragic consequences, two days later issued a proclamation of "illegal entry" by the 20 Uighurs. UNHCR officials had yet to finish reviewing their cases when the Uighurs were handcuffed and forcefully taken from UNHCR protection by Cambodian authorities. China's track record of mistreating repatriated Uighur refugees leads us to fear that they can expect even worse on Chinese soil.
There's little hope these deportees will receive fair trial: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesmen have already declared them to be criminals without offering any evidence to back up their claims (and despite the fact two of the Uighurs are children). China's insistence on the guilt of these Uighurs in the absence of proof is consistent with its treatment of other Uighurs detained after the July unrest in Urumchi, whom Chinese officials declared to be criminals prior to the start of any criminal trials.
Beijing leaned hard on Phnom Penh to secure the deportation of these Uighurs, because once free they would no doubt contradict the official version of the events of July 5, when security forces cracked down violently on Uighur protestors and unrest spread through the city of Urumqi. The government has portrayed the unrest solely as a criminal act carried out by a small group of violent Uighurs, ignoring the security forces' killings of Uighur protestors, the mass arbitrary detentions of Uighurs and the systemic human-rights issues that led Uighurs to engage in a peaceful protest on the afternoon of July 5. At least two of the recently deported Uighurs reported having witnessed security forces beating and killing Uighur protestors on July 5.
The Cambodian government must be held accountable for its act of complicity with the Chinese government. Cambodia is a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, but turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of the U.S. and other democratic countries on behalf of these Uighur asylum seekers. Phnom Penh's decision was no doubt influenced by enormous Chinese pressure, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and a reported $1 billion in foreign direct investment. Prime Minister Hun Sen has labeled China as Cambodia's "most trustworthy friend," and Cambodian officials were loathe to disappoint Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on the eve of his Dec. 20 visit to Phnom Penh.
The deportation of the Uighurs in Cambodia is a sign of China's increasing ability to resist international pressure regarding its human-rights violations. As China's economic influence grows throughout Asia and the world, so too does its diplomatic clout. Economies in Central, South and Southeast Asia are increasingly dependent on cooperation with China, as the Chinese market seeks to feed its ravenous need for the natural resources available in these nations. Governments of countries neighboring China are reluctant to take any action that would displease Chinese authorities, leaving Uighurs nowhere to flee.
The United States and other nations committed to the preservation of human rights must call upon China to provide the 20 repatriated Uighurs with due process of law and must continue to express concern about their situation despite China's protestations over what it terms "interference in its domestic affairs." During my time in a Chinese prison, my jailers often told me the world did not care about me or the Uighurs' struggle for freedom, but my treatment did improve when officials from the U.S. and other democratic countries campaigned for my release. If there is to be any hope for the safety and well-being of these Uighur asylum seekers, it is vital that world powers continue to press China regarding their welfare.
Ms. Kadeer is the president of the World Uighur Congress and the Uighur American Association.
5 comments:
Uighurs Muslim came to the wrong country to ask political asylum. Cambodia is a communist country and bow to Youn and Bejing. The country of abuse and executed people as the China does every day. Under Hun Sen nobody is safe. Cambodia is a mafia state who run under one eye mafia guy, Hun Shit.
They should escape to Thailand to ask for Asylum, not Cambodia nor Vietnam.
I bet they're all will be executed secretly. American will be happy too. American allow Hun Sen to do so because American is a guilty person who allows Hun Sen do whatever he please. America nowaday doesn't promote Democracy, but promote mafia like Hun Shit. In the near future no one believe American leadership and no one will fight for democracy.
We should not vote for democracy or republican party. The don't do anything to help Cambodia from the tiger, Hun Shit.
I just can't believe it that Cambodia could ever done such a thing at all to any group of refugees. Hun Sen and his clique were refugees once and in fact he even thanked the host country for not deporting him back to Cambodia to face a certain death. Now when some refugee folks who are just trying to seek a simple protection he couldn't do it. A sad day for the Uighur people. This is the same with the Khmer Krom people who do not have their own sovereingty to their ancestral land. SADNESS continues in this world of OPPRESSION.
I bet that Koy Koung guy used to be a refugee himself.
I am a US citizen, I live in the US, but I disagree with the US government on this point. These people enter Cambodia illegally, and thus it is lawfully to return them back to the country of origin. Even the US return thousands of Mexican who illegally enter the US.
Another question is, why are these people came all the way from China and stay in Cambodia. Why don't they stop in Vietnam, Lao, Thailand or even go to Muslim country like Malaysia or Indonesia, why stop in Cambodia!
So now Cambodia is to blame for this. This is unfair.
Why don't the US protest with China, why blame Cambodia. May be the US dare not challenge China because they are borrowing billions from China!!
As for refugee treaty, what treaty!?
When Thai dump Cambodian refugee into mine field at Phnom Dangrek, where are the International, where the UN, and the Human right group?!
Thousands of Cambodian refugees were massacred, machine gun by Thai soliders, thousands more died in mine field, and thousand more die of starvation in Phnom Dangrek. So one come to help us, none.
Later UN estimate 30,000 Cambodian refugee died at Phnom Dangrek alone, and that not counting Thai Shelling Cambodian refugee camps a long the border, Thai rape and murder thousands more who try to enter Khao I Dang camp.
Easier to inform the world what Cambodia have done with the Chinese (The Uighurs.)
How about the Cambodians (non US citizen or refugee of life), who grown in the States. Some were born in an international UN-camp and did not know much about Cambodia.
The US Government (as a civilized country) sent or will send these young Khmers to Cambodia, because they have no voice in the US.
Did we also fight for their right ?
Post a Comment