Cambodia route reopens for Uighur refugees
Recent arrests by Thai authorities of groups of suspected Uighur refugees along the Cambodian border have experts convinced that Cambodia has once again become a transit hub for members of the minority group fleeing religious and political persecution in China. Last week, 14 Uighurs were reportedly discovered in Sa Kaeo province hiding in a forest close to the border with Banteay Meanchey province, allegedly carrying almost $50,000 in cash after being abandoned by Cambodian smugglers, while 15 others were discovered in the same area a month earlier. … Cambodia swiftly dropped off the radar for asylum seekers after government in December 2009 forcibly deported a group of 20 Uighurs, including women and children, back to China, effectively condemning them to life in prison, or worse. The decision flouted the 1951 U.N. convention on refugees and was blasted by the international community. Cambodia was awarded days later with $1 billion in grants and loans from China. But the route through Cambodia has now reopened, according to Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch. “Uighurs stayed well away from Cambodia for a period of time, but now they have come back and it is unclear why. [They] need to tiptoe across Cambodia because they are at risk of immediate arrest and possible forced return to China if the authorities find them,” Mr. Robertson said. The routes and tactics being used by the smugglers who are facilitating the movement of Uighurs remain unclear, he added. The Cambodian government’s stance on Uighurs, however, is perfectly clear. Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said regardless of their nationality, people discovered illegally entering Cambodia are subject to Cambodian law. “We will send them back. Whoever they are, from wherever they come, whoever is involved with illegal people smuggling are blackmailing Cambodia,” he said.
Simon Henderson
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/cambodia-route-reopens-for-uighur-refugees-57340/
