Palau to press Australia over accepting Gitmo Uyghurs

Palauan President Johnson Toribiong said Thursday that he will press Australia to take in six former Guantanamo detainees from the Chinese Uyghur minority who want to quit their temporary stay on the island.

Toribiong said he would raise the issue during talks with Australian Prime Min-ister Julia Gillard on the sidelines of next month's Pacific Islands Forum in Vanuatu.

After seven months in Palau, the Uyghurs issued a plea in June to be allowed to move to a permanent home, and Toribiong said he would point out to Gillard that at least one of them has an Australian wife.

"I want to find out the policy and laws of Australia regarding the spouse's status," he said, adding that he will raise the situation of "those who are interested in joining the Uyghur community in Australia."

The six former detainees were among 22 Uyghurs seized by US troops in Afghanistan in October 2001.

Beijing claims that they were members of the terrorist group East Turkestan Islam-ic Movement, and demands their repatriation, which the US has rejected.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was unable to comment on the story but confirmed that China had made representations to Canberra on the issue.

AFP