Beijing demands return of 17 Muslim detainees being sent to Palau, calls them terrorists

October 14th, 2009 Activist: Let Chinese Gitmo detainees stay in USWELLINGTON, New Zealand — A group of Chinese Muslims detained for years at the Guantanamo Bay military prison should be allowed to settle in the United States, an exiled leader of the ethnic minority said Wednesday. Officials in Washington have struggled to find a place for 13 Uighurs still being held in U.S.

September 24th, 2009 Up to 8 Uighurs soon leaving Guantanamo for PalauWASHINGTON — The Obama administration says at least six, and as many as eight, Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will soon leave their island prison for freedom in another island nation, Palau. Word of the upcoming transfer to the tiny Pacific country, planned for sometime after Oct.

September 18th, 2009 2 more Uighur detainees at Gitmo heading to PalauKOROR, Palau — Two more Chinese Muslim detainees held at Guantanamo Bay have agreed to be relocated to the tiny Pacific nation of Palau, their lawyer said Saturday, bringing to six the total who will resettle. Palau has offered 13 ethnic Uighurs held at the U.S.

September 14th, 2009 4th Guantanamo detainee agrees to move to PalauKOROR, Palau — A fourth Chinese Muslim detainee held at Guantanamo Bay has agreed to be relocated to the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau, officials said Tuesday. Relocating the Uighurs would bring the Obama administration a step closer to its goal of finding new homes for terrorism suspects and others captured in Afghanistan who have been cleared of wrongdoing but cannot go home for fear of persecution.

September 10th, 2009 First Guantanamo Uighurs agree to go to PalauKOROR, Palau — Three Chinese Muslims detained at Guantanamo Bay have formally accepted an offer to take up new lives in the Pacific island nation of Palau and could be moved there as early as next month, lawyers say. They are the first among a group of 13 ethnic Uighurs being held at the U.S.

August 5th, 2009 Palau deal close for Uighur Guantanamo detaineesKOROR, 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.

June 23rd, 2009 Palau president: Gitmo detainees scared of ChinaMELEKEOK, Palau — Some Chinese Muslims detained at Guantanamo Bay are hesitant about accepting this tiny Pacific nation's offer to take them in because they fear it cannot shield them from China, Palau's president said Tuesday. An American official in Palau described the concerns as unwarranted, pointing out that Beijing has no political influence over the island country.

June 23rd, 2009 Palau president: Gitmo detainees still fear ChinaMELEKEOK, Palau — Some Chinese Muslims detained at Guantanamo Bay who have been offered resettlement in Palau are leery of moving to the tiny Pacific island nation for fear that it cannot protect them from China, Palau's president said Tuesday. Palau sent a fact-finding team to the Guantanamo Bay detention center earlier this month to assess the needs of the 13 Uighurs, Turkic Muslims from the far west of China — where they are wanted as alleged terrorists.

June 18th, 2009 Palau tourists undeterred by Gitmo detainee newsKOROR, Palau — Palau can probably stop worrying that the expected arrival of 13 Guantanamo detainees might scare off tourists. The diving is just too spectacular.

June 12th, 2009 BEIJING - China has urged the U.S. to repatriate Uighur "terrorist suspects" soon, after the tiny pacific nation of Palau agreed to temporarily resettle up to 17 detainees from Guantanamo Bay.

June 11th, 2009 Palau cites human rights in resettling detaineesWELLINGTON, New Zealand — Palau's president said Thursday his tiny Pacific nation will take in 17 Chinese Muslims who are in limbo at Guantanamo Bay because they have become "international vagabonds" who deserve his country's age-old tradition of hospitality. President Johnson Toribiong noted, however, that the Uighur detaines from China's arid west would start their new lives in a half-way house to test how they acclimatize to his tropical archipelago west of the Philippines.

June 11th, 2009 China objects to Palau resettling Guantanamo menWELLINGTON, New Zealand — Palau's president said Thursday that his tiny Pacific nation's tradition of hospitality prompted the decision to take in 13 Chinese Muslims in limbo at Guantanamo Bay, but China called them "terrorist suspects" and demanded they be sent home. The other four Chinese Muslims, or Uighurs, left U.S.

June 11th, 2009 China rejects move to send detainees to PalauBEIJING — Beijing said Thursday that the 17 Chinese Muslims the United States is sending to Pacific island nation of Palau are terrorists and should be handed back to China instead. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the United States should "stop handing over terrorist suspects to any third country, so as to expatriate them to China at an early date." Palau President Johnson Toribiong said earlier in the week that Palau had agreed to a U.S.

June 10th, 2009 Palau to take Uighur detainees from Guantanamo BayWELLINGTON, New Zealand — The tropical Pacific island nation of Palau announced Wednesday it will accept up to 17 Chinese Muslims who have languished in legal limbo at Guantanamo Bay despite a Pentagon determination that they are not "enemy combatants." China's Foreign Ministry had no immediate reaction to the decision by Palau to grant Washington's request to resettle the detainees from China's Uighur minority who had been incarcerated at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba.

June 10th, 2009 Pacific state Palau to take Uighur detaineesWELLINGTON, New Zealand — The tropical Pacific island nation of Palau announced Wednesday it will accept up to 17 Chinese Muslims who have languished in legal limbo at Guantanamo Bay despite a Pentagon determination that they are not "enemy combatants." China's Foreign Ministry had no immediate reaction to the decision by Palau to grant Washington's request to resettle the detainees from China's Uighur minority who had been incarcerated at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba.