Cambodia deports Uygurs back to China
Source: Global Times [02:19 December 21 2009]
"The forced return of asylum-seekers without a full examination of their asylum claims is a serious breach of international refugee law," the UN High Commissioner for Refugees office said Sunday.
Liu Nanlai, vice director of the Chinese Society of International Law, told the Global Times that he disagreed.
"It is reasonable and legitimate for Cambodia to send back those illegal migrants," Liu said, adding that suspects who abscond their homeland to avoid punishment don't qualify as refugees.
"China has the jurisdiction of Chinese suspects. The Chinese judicial review will decide the suspects' crimes according to laws," Liu said, adding that China operates under the rule of law. "Any human rights organizations and individuals have no right to interfere."
"The international community would not abide criminals at large in another country after they violated laws in their own countries," said Li Wei, a security strategist at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
"The international refugee protection system should not be a haven for criminals to evade legal sanctions," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said last week, adding that the Uygurs in question were involved in crimes, and relevant Chinese authorities were verifying and investigating the situation.
Agencies contributed to this story
