Here is a Uighur update thanks to Blulitespecial. It appears that some of these Chinese Muslims from Gitmo, once destined to be resettled in Virginia, have agreed they will try Palau afterall.
KOROR, Palau – Some Chinese Muslims still detained at Guantanamo Bay have overcome reservations about being sent to the remote Pacific nation of Palau, and a final deal on their relocation was close, a lawyer for two of them said Wednesday.
The Uighur detainees met with U.S. State Department officials on Monday and informed the diplomats they are now willing to move to Palau, said George Clarke, a lawyer acting for two of the inmates who took part in the talks.
Apparently their initial hesitancy was because they figured that the Chincse government could just come and get them there. I don’t know what the Obama Administration has promised them, maybe their very own Secret Service agents for protection.
The 13 Uighurs, Turkic Muslims from the far west of China, have been held by the United States since their capture in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2001. The Pentagon determined last year that they were not “enemy combatants,” but they have been in legal limbo ever since.
China considers them separatists and has demanded they be sent home for trial. U.S. officials have said the men could be executed if they are returned to China and have refused to send them there.
Of course, one of the questions on Blulitespecial’s mind, and mine too, is: What is going to keep them in Palau?
For more on Uighurs (also spelled Uighers) use our search function.