XINJIANG: CHINA DENIES UYGHUR INTERNMENT CAMPS REPORT

BEIJING : China has flatly denied that it has put a “million Uyghurs” in re-education camps, saying there are “no such things” in its northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

It has set up “vocational education and employment centres” to provide livelihood skills to those who have committed minor offences, Chinese officials have told a United Nations rights panel. The officials also defended the banning of veils in the province, saying it was against local customs and was required to fight terrorism.

This was China’s first official denial of several reports that said hundreds of thousands from minority Muslim communities – mostly Uyghurs – have been packed off to camps.

Last week, Gay McDougall, vice-chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination told the UN panel there were deep concerns about XUAR being turned into a “massive internment camp”.

“We are deeply concerned at the many numerous and credible reports that we have received that in the name of combating religious extremism and maintaining social stability (China) has changed the Uyghur autonomous region into something that resembles a massive internship camp that is shrouded in secrecy, a sort of ‘no rights zone,” McDougall told the panel.

The 49-member Chinese delegation that was attending the UN panel said the reports were false and baseless.