Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Palau Government still not sure if Uighurs are coming

Posted at 23:18 on 30 June, 2009 UTC

Palau is drafting a written resettlement proposal for Uighur refugees who, at the request of the United States may move there from the prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Last week, the refugees were visited and interviewed by a Palau delegation headed by its President, Johnson Toribiong.

In a briefing with members of the Palau Congress President Toribiong says only eight of the 13 still being detained agreed to be interviewed and only one of them wants to temporarily resettle in Palau.

President Toribiong says it is still unclear whether the Uighurs will move to Palau.

The US cleared the Uighurs of any wrongdoing four years ago but has continued to hold them at Guantanamo due to fears they would be tortured if returned to China.