Australia considers request to resettle Uighur detainees

Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop

Last Updated: Sat, 30 May 2009 12:45:00 +1000

The Australian Government says it will consider a request to resettle detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.

Australia has already rejected two requests from the former U-S President George W Bush to take Guantanamo detainees.

The Federal Government's now been asked for the first time by his successor, Barack Obama, to resettle 17 prisoners from China's Uighur minority group.

The detainees have been held for seven years at Guantanamo despite being cleared of links to terrorism.

A Pentagon report in February called for them to be released urgently but Washington fears they'll face persecution if they return to China.

The Prime Minister's office says the Government will consider the request on a case-by-case basis.

It rejected the same request from the Bush administration in January.

Opposition rejects Uighur resettlement

The Federal Opposition Leader, Malcolm Turnbull says Australia should reject a new request from the United States to relocate Guatanomo Bay Detainnes.

The US has found the 17 detainees from China's Uighur minority don't have any links to terrorism, but the Opposition leader Malcolm Turnball says former Guantanamo Bay prisoners have known to become terrorists.

"If the Americans believe they are safe enough to walk the streets of Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, then they would be safe enough to walk the streets of any Amercian city."