Uighurs Bask in Bermuda

[retrobob]

These guys are in double exile.
Exiled from China
Exiled from the rest of the world.

Off topic:
I'm sure they'll find this place:
http://www.swizzleinn.com/

This is where I drank the infamous Swizzle and ended up at the runway at NAS Bermuda seriously wasted.

I was sucking 100% O2 during my P-3 Orion pre-flight to RAF Machrihansih Scotland, only to get wasted again.

Exiled indeed.In fact,it's not even guaranteed that they'll get UK passports EVER, thus becoming literally stateless.They may still be deported back to China.As a stand-alone humanitarian gesture, giving these guys refuge/asylum would have been a good thing to do IF it had all gone through all the proper diplomatic channels.Given the 'big picture' politics that surrounds all this, it may well be that diplomatic obstacles may have prevented them from settling in Bermuda altogether or eventual settlement would have taken place months or years down the road.'Big Picture' politics as I said.

We all learned very quickly that despite Bermuda Gov't 'spin' this was done for purely political purposes to ensure some sort of 'points scored' by Bermuda's Premier and quite possibly by the US Consul General.
Dr Ewart Brown deliberatly stepped out of his lane for his own personal/political gain and caused a diplomatic ****storm that he won't have to clean-up or answer for,profiting from the 4 Uighurs misfortune.

BTW Ordie, the Swizzle Inn's still here,though as strict Muslims I don't think the Uighurs will be the seeing inside of it somehow.Was your Squadron's zapper on Swizzle Inn's window? I ask becuase they've never replaced the windows and there are US,UK and Canadian squadron decals going back over 20 years.

[Ordie]

I can't speak to the guilt or innocence of these particular gentlemen, but that doesn't go very far in explaining their 'exile' status.

If they go back to China, they will be set up for a show trial, with no due process and executed.

If they go to the US, every consituent (NIMBY) will be calling thier congressmen day and night.

If they go to a third country with diplomatic relations with China, it will pressure the country to hand them over or face the wrath of economic santions or UN security council veto.

If they go to a continental location, they melt away and go to another country.

Solution:
Find an island location, with no direct relations with China with strong ties with the US.

Palau is a former UN Trust Territory with free association with the USA (i.e. US Dependency/Protectorate). Palau has diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan (Not Beijing)

Bermuda is a self governing overseas British Territory. However its major economic links are with the USA. It's diplomatic relations are through London. UK has leverage with Beijing.

[SBL]

If they go back to China, they will be set up for a show trial, with no due process and executed.

If they go to the US, every consituent (NIMBY) will be calling thier congressmen day and night.

If they go to a third country with diplomatic relations with China, it will pressure the country to hand them over or face the wrath of economic santions or UN security council veto.

If they go to a continental location, they melt away and go to another country.

Solution:
Find an island location, with no direct relations with China with strong ties with the US.

Palau is a former UN Trust Territory with free association with the USA (i.e. US Dependency/Protectorate). Palau has diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan (Not Beijing)

Bermuda is a self governing overseas British Territory. However its major economic links are with the USA. It's diplomatic relations are through London. UK has leverage with Beijing.

I understand that much, but like I said, it doesn't explain how they found themselves in the situation to begin with. AFAIK, there hasn't been any real disclosure as to what sort of activities they were engaging in while in Afghanistan. Not that I'm particularly bothered by this turn of events, but I think there's reason to be suspicious.

[Ordie]

Exiled indeed.In fact,it's not even guaranteed that they'll get UK passports EVER, thus becoming literally stateless.They may still be deported back to China.As a stand-alone humanitarian gesture, giving these guys refuge/asylum would have been a good thing to do IF it had all gone through all the proper diplomatic channels.Given the 'big picture' politics that surrounds all this, it may well be that diplomatic obstacles may have prevented them from settling in Bermuda altogether or eventual settlement would have taken place months or years down the road.'Big Picture' politics as I said.

At least exile in Bermuda is better than exile in Tristan da Cunha or St. Helena.

I recall a similar situation in the Falklands where a Chinese Sailor accused of murdering his shipmate. Since there's no extradition treaty between the Island and China, he's stuck.

[Ordie]

I understand that much, but like I said, it doesn't explain how they found themselves in the situation to begin with. AFAIK, there hasn't been any real disclosure as to what sort of activities they were engaging in while in Afghanistan. Not that I'm particularly bothered by this turn of events, but I think there's reason to be suspicious.

Wrong place..wrong time?

[SBL]

Wrong place..wrong time?

Maybe .

[Delay]

Maybe .

Cross border trade from Pakistan or trying to convince al qaeda to join a jihad on China?

[SBL]

Cross border trade from Pakistan or trying to convince al qaeda to join a jihad on China?

Do you want me to pick one?

[Delay]

Do you want me to pick one?

sure go nuts

[LordKitchener]

No, the US authorities have concluded that they pose no security risk, ( however, some lawmakers don't want them to settle in the US (obviously)

They havn't been released because they are not deemed a threat - they have been released because Obama and co don't like the legal grey area surrounding their capture.

Anyone with half a brain cell would question why these Chinese Muslims border-hopped to one of the most war-torn and impoverished places on Earth and were obviously fed and looked after and then jumped over to Pakistan seemingly in unison with AQ.

Use some common sense. Why do you find it so hard to believe they were fighting with AQ?

[Geezah]

David Miliband calls Hillary Clinton to voice anger over Guantánamo inmates' transfer to Bermuda

A high-level transatlantic row has broken out over the Obama administration's failure to consult Britain over the transfer of four Guantánamo Bay inmates to Bermuda.

David Miliband has telephoned Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, to express the government's disappointment at the deal.

British officials were informed the four Chinese Uighurs were heading to the United Kingdom's oldest dependency only as they boarded their plane for Bermuda on Wednesday night.

A British diplomat said: "The Foreign Secretary registered his surprise. It was a regrettable mistake. Bermuda, the UK and the US now need to work together to fix it and make sure it doesn't happen again."

A senior State Department official said this diplomatic understatement masked a real anger over the Obama administration's oversight among British officials, telling ABC News: "They're pissed".

The State Department denied it had bypassed Britain but admitted that it dealt directly with Bermuda, a territory under the sovereignty of the UK, which is responsible for foreign policy and security.

Ian Kelly, State Department spokesman, said: "We understand that there are some concerns about some of the details of the resettlement, and we're confident that we can work these things through with the government of the UK."

Britain's anger is directed principally at Ewart Brown, the Bermudan premier. But the UK's responsibility for the security of Bermuda is well known to US diplomats and the decision to ignore this could be a sign of diminished British clout in Washington.

Mr Brown said that the Uighurs, a Muslim minority from China's Xinjiang province would be "provided with the opportunity to become naturalised citizens and thereafter afforded the right to travel and leave Bermuda, potentially settling elsewhere".

Adbul Nasser, one of the four freed Uighurs, hailed Bermuda's decision.

"Today you have let freedom ring," he said in a statement.

Link

..................

[Karaahmetoglu]

This does not look right. I know Uighurs who end up in Turkey (Uighurs and Turks have close linguistic ties), usually they can end up in better places then in Afghanistan, the downside is that they are usually not treated well wherever they go that is near China I.e Krygstan (where the locals have a hard time let alone outsiders coming in), but still from there they could make there way off to Russia or Turkey. If they do end up in Turkey or Russia it usually means that others can do it as well.


But hey you cannot judge someone till you have walked in a 1000 miles in there Shoes. In this case it is almost literal.

[Virus]

Seems the concept of "Innocent until proven guilty, in a court of law" concept escapes at least two of the posters here on this thread.

Hit right on the nail there sir. Guess people can't get over the effect of label biasing. To sad.

[vinny_121_ND]

They havn't been released because they are not deemed a threat - they have been released because Obama and co don't like the legal grey area surrounding their capture.

Anyone with half a brain cell would question why these Chinese Muslims border-hopped to one of the most war-torn and impoverished places on Earth and were obviously fed and looked after and then jumped over to Pakistan seemingly in unison with AQ.

Use some common sense. Why do you find it so hard to believe they were fighting with AQ?

After 9/11 the chinese government had an excuse to clamp down on muslims. The government is against organized religion like falun gong that they will go to extreme measures to do whatever it takes to shut it down. The uighurs were persecuted and they had to leave or else. When they wandered off to afghanistan and fled to pakistan because of the bombing, they had no idea what was coming. The US paid the pakistanis billions to turn over anybody suspected with ties to AQ, in hopes they would turn over osama bin laden and omar. That of course, didn't happen. I don't trust pakistan, do you?

[Connaught Ranger]

They havn't been released because they are not deemed a threat - they have been released because Obama and co don't like the legal grey area surrounding their capture.

Anyone with half a brain cell would question why these Chinese Muslims border-hopped to one of the most war-torn and impoverished places on Earth and were obviously fed and looked after and then jumped over to Pakistan seemingly in unison with AQ.

Use some common sense. Why do you find it so hard to believe they were fighting with AQ?

Pure speculation, its a known fact that Chinese Triad gangs have been using the route via Afghanistan to smuggle people into Europe for years, many of their customers getting dumped along the way, if they fear getting caught.

Connaught Ranger.