Bermuda has been thrust into an international political firestorm by allowing four former prisoners of Guantanamo Bay to take refuge on the island. The move is likely to garner favour with President Obama, who has been desperate to find homes for former inmates after promising to close Guantanamo by January.
However, the Chinese government is furious, and says the U.S. should extradite what it calls "suspected terrorists" to China. The British Government, and Governor Sir Richard Gozney, are also less than impressed, and say Bermuda should have consulted with them before giving the four men a home.
Welcome to paradise: The four Chinese Muslims spent years in harsh captivity - and years more in political limbo - before Bermuda offered them a home.
The men understandably say they are delighted to be here.
"We were not involved in the negotiations, and we should have been. The Government of Bermuda should have consulted Government House at every stage and through me the British government. They didn't do that. This is an issue that goes far wider than these four individuals. We now need to assess these four individuals." He said London has launched urgent talks with Washington yesterday.
The Justice Department in the States insists it has done full checks on the men's background and character and is convinced they have never been involved in terrorism. Three years ago, the four prisoners were among those cleared by an American court of fighting U.S. troops. Since then, over 100 countries have refused to give them asylum, partly through fear of angering China.
However, Sir Richard said the assessments on the men needed to be done by Britain before they were allowed into Bermuda: "These men are on British territory. Our view is that [the assessments] need to be done by Bermuda and Britain and we can't rely on a third party assessment. If we are taking four people from Guantanamo, clearly there is a security issue there, and we need to know we have done our homework." Sir Richard said only yesterday was Government House given the paperwork for the four men. He said: "Now we have started to do that homework, and we can do it quickly. But it should have been done before now. It would have been had we been involved from the start."
The four men - named as Abdul Nasser, Huzaifa Parhat, Abdul Semet and Jalal Jalaladin - are members of the Uighur Muslim ethnic sect. The Chinese claim they were part of an army fighting for independence in the northwest of the country.
Sir Richard said the men are not just refugees, they are political refugees and a special case both because of their country of origin and where they were held in prison. He said the political ramifications are huge, as evidenced by the fact that no other countries have previously come forward to house them. "That's why they have been trapped in Guantanamo," said Sir Richard.
'An immigration issue'
Premier Ewart Brown said last night that it was not Britain's place to get involved at all. He said the Bermuda Government is viewing it as an immigration issue - which falls to the Government - as opposed to a foreign affairs and security issue - which falls to the Governor. He also denied that Bermudians should have been kept informed of the plan so that they could challenge it if they felt uncomfortable. He said the plan would have ground to a halt if the public had been involved. He said: "You can see why the talks have to be private and somewhat restricted...Otherwise it wouldn't have been able to happen."
He also addressed a concern shared by many Bermudians: why is the island offering housing and jobs to these men when there are so many on the island who are going without. Dr. Brown said: "We have our problems. We have our problems with or without these people, and we will continue to have our challenges without these four people." He said with 10,000 guest workers here, "four people isn't even a ripple in the water."
Bermudians are also asking: why can't the men be sent home? Experts point out that China has one of the worst human rights records in the world. The men would almost certainly be tortured and killed if they were sent home.
Dr. Brown said that meant Bermuda has a moral responsibility to give the men a home. The U.S. Government yesterday thanked the island for stepping in. Attorney General Eric Holder of the Justice Department said: "By helping accomplish the president's objective of closing Guantanamo, the transfer of these detainees will make America safer." He added that the department was "extremely grateful to the government of Bermuda for its assistance."
However, the Chinese Government has condemned the move. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said: "The 17 Uigurs are members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which is on the United Nations list of terrorist groups and China holds the unswerving stand that the U.S. should stop handing over the terrorists to any third country, so as to expatriate them to China at an early date."
At a glance — the key questions Will the men be under any restrictions in Bermuda?
No. They will be free members of society, helped to gain employment and found housing.
Government claim the men have "skills in the mechanical trade" and at least two speak good English.
The men will get the chance to "become naturalized Bermudians". The only restriction on them will be travel - they must get clearance from foreign authorities before traveling to the U.S. or U.K.
Why were the men sent to Guantanamo in the first place?
They were living in a self-contained camp in Afghanistan when the U.S. invasion began in October 2001.
American troops rounded up anyone they thought was an enemy combatant. The prisoners claimed they had fled to Afghanistan to avoid persecution as Muslims in their own country.
After more than four years in Guantanamo Bay, an American court found they were not enemy combatants and cleared of all wrongdoing.
Why can't the men be sent back to China?
The Chinese believe they were part of a Muslim guerilla army fighting for independence in the northwest of the country. This has not been proved.
China has an appalling human rights record and the men would be unlikely to receive a fair trial. Instead, they would likely be tortured and executed.
Why aren't these men given a home in the States, since it was America who locked them up?
An original plan to take the men to Virginia met with fierce opposition from Congress.
At one point, the Justice Department argued they should never be admitted into the country because they "sought to wage terror" in China.
A district judge ruled the men should be freed in the States, only to be overruled by an appeals court, which said the judge had assumed too much power. That final ruling left the men in legal limbo.
Why have so many other countries declined to take the men?
It may have been simply that there are few political points to be won giving a home to former suspected terrorists.
Just as importantly, countries have been wary of making enemies of China.
"Bermuda just stepped up and did it, God bless them," said P. Sabin Willett, a lawyer for the four men. "They have put the bigger countries to shame."
What does Bermuda get out of the deal?
According to reports, Palau, a Pacific island that is taking 13 more former prisoners, was being offered hundreds of millions of dollars in aid money as a sweetener.
It does not appear that Bermuda will benefit from any such payment. Instead, the U.S. has agreed only to pay for all costs related to the relocation and resettlement of the men.
The most important boon to Bermuda may be the goodwill generated with President Obama, at a time when governments around the world are looking to clamp down on low-tax jurisdictions.
I applaud the actions of Dr. Brown and all Bermudans. These men have been victims of great injustice. There has never been any evidence that they are terrorists. They will contribute to life on the island (and hopefully to business, if they open the Uigur restaurant).
Posted: Sunday, June 14, 2009
Comment by:
Angie
Brown must go he is destroying Bermuda. Get him out before he totally destroys the country. He is a dictator he needs to go back to the US! I would rather the four stay and he go. He can not fight crime, homelessness, or unemployment yet he is trying to solve a problem that the US does not want. Why is he worrying about a US problem when he should be concerned with the problems of Bermuda? What happened to PLP for the people? If Bermudians are so disenfranchised with Brown's leadership and PLP members are so scared to remove him then Bermudians need to demand his removal get radical everybody go on strike shut the whole of Bermuda down!! Instead of only complaining and gossipping amongst each other do something about this horrible situation.
Posted: Sunday, June 14, 2009
Comment by:
J. Paul Spinn
After growing up in Bermuda and observing the island over the last 34 years, I have to say that this decision is by far the worst decision that I have witnessed. Surely the UBP and the PLP are not perfect political parties, but current Premier has made a political blunder that will have significant repercussions for current his tenure in office and the unintended consequences for the island will be long lasting.
Paul Spinn
Naperville, IL
Posted: Sunday, June 14, 2009
Comment by:
logic76
The British Government has every right to get involved. Brown wants to make these people citizens of a British Overseas Territory and he has no power to do that. Why shouldn't Britain become involved? The man has not clue when it comes to the well-being of this island, all he cares about is his personal interests. Perhaps there is some monetary incentive behind the men coming to Bermuda, or maybe the charges against his son will magically vanish. It is time for a change in this country. Independence will only be the beginning of the problems in Bermuda.
Posted: Saturday, June 13, 2009
Comment by:
Wayne L R.I. U.S.A.
You must this man Mr.Brown King of Bermuda.Cannot stop or control the gangs or trouble that Bermuda is in now, so it only sounds right that he would invite people who went through real leaders to make sure the gangs are run correct.Man,this man has got to be out of his tree.What a LEADER.
Posted: Saturday, June 13, 2009
Comment by:
Oylan
I am Uighur living in US. I thank Bermudian government and people for their generocity and comassion. I hope none of you ever have to go through what these men went through or 10 Million Uighur people go through daily in China. Trust me, that is best blessing you can ever get. As you can see they are not Chinese. We have nothing common with them, different history, language, culture, food or anything makes a people distict, but our Chinese neighbors occupied our land first 1884, but we gained independence twice in 20th century, once in 1933 and second tine 1944-1949. Since 1949 the Chinese communists flooded our homeland with Chinese immigrats increasing the population from under 5% to today's 60%. They are carrying out a horrible repression that this world has not witnessed since the WWII, but the world largely ignores it becuase they need to make money from the cheap Chinese goods. We are Muslims, but not all Muslims are same as your possible impression of them arised from the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan and middle East. You will find out soon enough. Our country what we call East Turkistan is 3 times the size of California and full of natural resources enough to support whole China, but it is not big enough for its original inhabitants including these four men because of the Chinese tyranny. You can be assured that these mean did not mean to intrude into your lives and Island, their unfortunate fate brought them there. Show them a little compassion, they are not monsters who bite the hand that feeds them. We have nothing to offer for your generocity in return, but we would do the same if our situations were reversed, which we do not wish upon you or any one.
Posted: Saturday, June 13, 2009
Comment by:
Beez Evans
I cant wait for the day that we wake up an independant nation. When asked why the local government didnt consult the people or the UK government before severing all ties, they will just reply "You can see why the talks have to be private and somewhat restricted...Otherwise it wouldn't have been able to happen."
Those four men have suffered horrible injustices at the hands of the US and Chinese governments. This does not give our premier and his head of immigration the power and the right to just throw the laws of our country and the UK out the window.
That "colonial relationship", that is referred to with such disdain, is the only thing that allows us any recourse right now. If it wasn't for the governor, who could we look to at a time like this. I am thankful for our colonial ties today.
Posted: Friday, June 12, 2009
Comment by:
xierzhati
I support this 4. I would like them to peaceful and happier life, I hope you will support them.
Posted: Friday, June 12, 2009
Comment by:
mike
now how can they be offerd to become naturalized Bermudians?
People that have been born in Bermuda and been living her all there lives only get offered permanent revenant. How is that happening? I say Premier Ewart Brown is just over his head. How is it for him to say that Britain has no say in it? Well just case he is the Premier does not make him over ride Britain. He may run the government but does not mean he can do what he wants. Remember Britain run that island we call Bermuda. I think that them man should get sent off the island. All I can say he has opened a can of warms.
Posted: Friday, June 12, 2009
Comment by:
Shane
I agree with Mr. Bryce. These people are here illegally and I say, must leave the country within 48 hours. This decision was unauthorized and anti democratic. THEY MUST GO HOME NOW.
