Monday, December 21, 2009
The Associated Press
Visiting Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping thanked Cambodia for deporting 20 Muslim asylum-seekers while handing the country $1.2 billion US in aid, a government spokesman said Monday.
The 20 ethnic Uighurs deported Saturday had been sought by China in connection with violent anti-government protests by Muslims in western China. Human rights activists are concerned about their fate.
"China thanked the government of Cambodia for assistance in sending back those people to China because under Chinese law these people are criminals. This represents co-operation by the two sides," Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said after a meeting between the Chinese vice-president and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
He said 14 agreements totalled $1.2 billion US in grants and loans, ranging from Chinese help in building roads to assistance in repairing Buddhist temples. Earlier, China had provided Cambodia with $930 million US in loans and other aid.
No comments:
Post a Comment