Several of the 13 Uighur Muslims currently detained at Guantanamo Bay have expressed concern over a US plan to relocate them to the tiny Pacific archipelago of Palau, AP reported, citing Palau’s President Johnson Toribiong. The Uighurs, who were initially detained as terrorism suspects in 2001 and have since been cleared of charges, told a Palauan delegation visiting Guantanamo that they were worried that Palau was too small to protect them from China. Beijing considers the Uighurs separatists and has demanded they be returned to China for trial, where they could face execution. US officials said that Beijing does not represent a threat to the Uighurs as Palau does not have diplomatic relations with China and has instead chosen to bolster ties with Taiwan. Consequently Beijing has little leverage with which to force Palau to return the Uighurs to China.
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