WORLD BRIEFING / PALAU
Only a few of the Guantanamo detainees Palau has agreed to resettle have shown interest in moving to the remote Pacific nation, its government said today.
The 13 Turkic Muslims from far western China are concerned about the island nation’s ability to provide for their safety, according to a government statement.
Palau made headlines this month when it consented to President Obama’s request to take the Uighurs as part of plans to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba. The Pentagon determined last year that they were not “enemy combatants” -- but the men have been stuck in legal limbo since.
“They are concerned about security,” said a government official. “They asked, ‘How are you going to defend us from China?’ ”
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