PHNOM PENH, Dec. 17 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Cambodian and U.N. refugee agency officials will soon interview 22 ethnic Uyghurs who fled China and are in Cambodia seeking asylum, a government official said Thursday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong told Kyodo News that the Uyghurs, who are under the care of the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, will be jointly interviewed to assess their eligibility for refugee status.
As of now, he said, the UNCHR considers the 22 Uyghurs, who reportedly include three children, to be "people of concern."
On Wednesday, Amnesty International sent a letter to Cambodia's Interior Minister Sar Kheng urging him not to send the Uyghurs back to China for fear that they might be tortured or subjected to other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
"We urge you...to ensure that they have access to a fair asylum process," it said in the letter.
Koy Kuong said the Chinese government sent Cambodia a diplomatic note on Dec. 8 concerning the 22 Uyghur asylum seekers, who reportedly fled to Cambodia through Vietnam, but he did not disclose its content.
But according to Amnesty, Chinese authorities have formally requested their extradition, suspecting them of claiming asylum abroad on grounds relating to last July's unrest in the remote, predominantly Muslim Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Since the unrest, Chinese authorities have detained thousands of people, brought dozens to trial, executed nine individuals, and handed down another eight death sentences and long prison terms to others charged for involvement in the rioting, Amnesty said.
It said Cambodia is bound under international law not to forcibly return people to a country where they are at risk of execution, torture or other serious human rights violations.
Less than two weeks ago, another advocacy group, Human Rights Watch, similarly urged the Cambodia to not send the Uyghurs back to China.
No comments:
Post a Comment