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BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Friday that it resolutely opposed Malaysia's decision to release 11 ethnic Uighur Muslims and send them to Turkey, ignoring China's request to hand them over. in Beijing.
China was in the process of checking details with Malaysia and hoped that the country of South-East Asia would "attach great importance" to its concerns, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement sent by fax to Reuters.
"These people are all Chinese nationals. We resolutely oppose their deportation to a third country, "he said.
Prosecutors in Muslim-majority Malaysia have dropped lawsuits against Uyghurs for humanitarian reasons and arrived in Turkey after leaving Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, their lawyer, Fahmi Moin, said Thursday.
The Malaysian government has not yet commented on the case.
The Uyghurs of Malaysia were part of a group of more than 200 people arrested in Thailand in 2014.
Although they identified themselves as Turkish citizens and asked to be sent to Turkey, more than 100 of them were forcibly returned to China in July 2015, prompting condemnation from the international community.
Uyghurs were arrested and charged with entering Malaysia illegally after escaping from the Thai prison last November by puncturing a prison wall and using blankets as ladders.
Malaysian decision may stretch ties with China, already tested since Mahathir Mohamad became prime minister after a landslide victory in May, and canceled more than $ 20 billion worth of projects. Chinese companies.
In February, Reuters reported that China was under intense pressure to deport its men, citing sources. Some Western missions have sought to dissuade him from sending him to China, accused of persecuting Uighurs.
Beijing accuses separatist extremists of the Uyghur minority of planning attacks against the Han majority in China in the troubled region of Xinjiang, in the far west of the country, and elsewhere.
China has been accused of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, torture against Uyghur detainees and strict controls of their religion and culture. He denies wrongdoing.
In February, Malaysia said it was considering China's request to extradite the 11 men. In the past, he sent Uighurs detained in China.
Their detention took place as Malaysia moved closer to China under former prime minister Najib Razak, but 93-year-old Mahathir, in his second term as prime minister, expressed his support for Muslim communities against the country. persecution.
In his statement Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was opposed to illegal immigration in any form whatsoever.
Report by Philip Wen and Michael Martina
