Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2376174/posts
Chinese Muslims from Guantánamo sent to Palau (Uighurs)
Telegraph (UK) ^ | 4:44PM GMT 01 Nov 2009 | Peter Foster
Posted on November 1, 2009 5:07:36 PM PST by Pan_Yan
Six Chinese Muslims who were held in the Guantánamo Bay prison camp for almost eight years have arrived on the tiny Pacific island of Palau.
The detainees from the Turkic Uighur minority were arrested in Afghanistan during the opening days of military operations in 2001 and held as suspected militants until last year when a US military tribunal decided they were not ‘enemy combatants’.
The release of the men, who were greeted on arrival by Palau’s President, Johnson Toribiong, is another small step in US President Barack Obama’s struggle to close the controversial prison camp by January.
Palau, situated 500 miles east of the Philippines, agreed to take the Uighur inmates after lawyers argued they were at risk of torture or execution if they were returned to China, which regards them as terrorists connected to a Uighur separatist movement.
“They appeared to be very happy,” said President Toribiong after meeting the men off their 17-hour military flight, “They smiled, they thanked me, they called me brother. It’s amazing. I feel really good about it.”
The men, aged between 31 and 40, will be housed together in Koror, the main town in Palau where most of the country’s 20,000 residents live and work.
They will enjoy sea-views and a five-minute walk to one of the two mosques that cater to Palau’s 500 Muslims, who are mostly migrant workers from Bangladesh.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2009/October/09-ag-1179.html
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, October 31, 2009
United States Transfers Six Uighur Detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Palau
Six detainees who are Chinese nationals of Uighur ethnicity have been transferred from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the control of the Republic of Palau.
Ahmad Tourson, Abdul Ghappar Abdul Rahman, Edham Mamet, Anwar Hassan, Dawut Abdurehim and Adel Noori were resettled in Palau earlier today.
These detainees, who were subject to release from Guantanamo Bay as a result of court orders, had been cleared for release by the prior Administration, which determined that it would no longer treat them as enemy combatants. As directed by the President’s Jan. 22, 2009 Executive Order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force subsequently conducted a comprehensive review of each of the detainees. As a result of that review, these detainees were approved for transfer or release from Guantanamo Bay.
In accordance with Congressionally-mandated reporting requirements, the Administration informed Congress of its intent to transfer each of these detainees at least 15 days in advance.
These transfers were carried out under an arrangement between the United States and the Republic of Palau. The United States has coordinated with the Republic of Palau to ensure the transfers take place under appropriate security measures and will continue to consult with the Republic of Palau regarding the individuals.
“As we near the completion of our review of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, we will continue to work closely with the Department of State to implement transfer decisions, and we are grateful to the Republic of Palau for its assistance in the resettlement of these individuals,” said Matthew Olsen, Executive Director of the Guantanamo Review Task Force.
Since 2002, more than 550 detainees have departed Guantanamo Bay for other destinations, including Albania, Algeria, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belgium, Bermuda, Chad, Denmark, Egypt, France, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom and Yemen.