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| The Grand Turk |
| 173 detained Uighurs find refuge in Turkey |
| 2015-07-02 |
| [Cihan] 173 Uighur Turks who had been detained in Thailand for over a year, pitting Turkey against China in a diplomatic tussle, have been permitted to go to Turkey after the Turkish government made intense diplomatic efforts on their behalf. The arrival of the Uighurs Turks in Kayseri on Wednesday, marks the end a period of detention and fears of being returned to China. The Uighurs in Thailand have been the source of a diplomatic crisis between China and Turkey, with both countries wanting to repatriate them. Fleeing repression in China, hundreds of Uighurs have sought to settle in Thailand, but the Thai government has jailed them on charges of border violation. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied religious restrictions on Wednesday in a sharp response to Turkey's concern about reports that Uighur Muslims have been barred from worshiping and fasting during Ramadan. Turkey's Foreign Ministry says it has been upset by these reports and expressed its concerns to China's ambassador in Ankara. Some estimate that more than 1,000 Uighurs have escaped from China to Turkey. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 That's one response to Turkey's below-replacement birthrates... Though the incomers won't share the culture, being the descendants of the conquered rather than the conquering. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2015-07-02 11:44 |