UK government urged to hold China 'to account' over Uyghurs
London, Jul 8: The British government should back a political boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing to pressure the Chinese government over the genocide of Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in the northwest province of Xinjiang, an influential group of lawmakers said Thursday.
The cross-party Foreign Affairs Committee, which is led by Conservative lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, said in a report that the atrocities being committed in Xinjiang represent an international crisis of profound urgency, making it unconscionable for any civilised government to look the other way.
China, which rejects the accusations of abuses in Xinjiang, has denied the United Nations unfettered access to the region to investigate the claims.
Tugendhat said the Conservative government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson should recognise the decision of British lawmakers in April to declare Beijing's policies against the Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim and ethnic Turkic minorities in northwest China as genocide and crimes against humanity, and to hold the Chinese government "to account."
As the Communist Party celebrates its one hundredth anniversary, it's worth remembering that China has been a great civilization for more than five thousand years, he said. "These crimes against the Uyghur people stand out as a black moment in a golden history.
China has faced growing international criticism and sanctions for its alleged mass detention of more than one million people and its forced sterilization program. The U.S., for example, has stepped up its response under the new Biden administration, including travel bans, financial sanctions and commercial restrictions on Chinese imports. Unlike the British government, the U.S. government has declared China's policies against the Uyghurs as genocide.
Among its many recommendations, the committee of British lawmakers said the government should not attend" the Games, which are due to take place in Feb. 2022, and "should urge others not to do so.
Proponents of a boycott of the Games say that will send a clear message to Beijing about its treatment of the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities and deny the Chinese government a gold-plated public relations opportunity.
Specifically around the Games, the committee said the government should abstain from sending officials to ceremonies or functions, discourage British businesses from any involvement and tourists from travelling. It said the government should also discourage athletes from supporting or accepting the Chinese government's propaganda efforts while in-country.
It said the government should also suggest to the British Olympic Association to not participate in the opening or closing ceremonies, beyond one representative carrying the British flag.
On Wednesday, Johnson indicated that he wasn't minded to boycott the Games, telling lawmakers that he is instinctively against sporting boycotts.
This country has led the world in condemning human rights abuses in Xinjiang and in putting sanctions on those responsible, in holding companies to account that import goods made with forced labour in Xinjiang," Johnson said.
In addition to the political boycott of the Beijing Games, the committee said the government should explore a ban on the import of all cotton products linked to Xinjiang. It raised concerns that products made by forced labor are being sold in the U.K., with more than 570,000 people estimated to have been obliged to pick cotton in the Xinjiang region.
The committee also urged the government to implement an asylum fast track for Uyghurs and others fleeing from persecution in China.
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Houses only for eligible evictees, not encroachers: Dy CM Shivakumar
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said the state government would not provide houses to encroachers and would rehabilitate only eligible evictees on humanitarian grounds.
Responding to questions on whether housing would be provided to residents evicted during the recent demolition drive at Kogilu in north Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the government would not “gift” anything to those who had illegally occupied government land. He added that strict action would be taken against those who facilitated encroachments.
“There is no appeasement politics. Housing will be provided through the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana only to eligible evictees on humanitarian grounds,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said several evictees had informed officials that they were allowed to set up sheds after paying money to intermediaries. “We will take action against those who collected money and enabled encroachment of government land,” he said.
He added that some evictees had claimed land rights were issued to them in the past. “I have asked officials to verify these claims. Some outsiders have also encroached the land recently. We will identify the original settlers and rehabilitate only genuine beneficiaries,” he said.
Responding to criticism from CPI(M) leaders and MPs from Kerala, Shivakumar said, “We are running our government well. They can make any statement they want, but we will not allow encroachments. The Left government in Kerala, which has not fulfilled promises made to flood victims, has no right to lecture Karnataka.”
Clarifying remarks attributed to him about Kerala, Shivakumar said he had not spoken ill of Keralites. “BJP leader Rajeev Chandrashekhar is twisting my statement and misleading people. I share a good relationship with the people of Kerala. I will campaign in the Kerala elections, and our government will come to power there,” he said.
He also said local body elections would be held next year and that the state’s guarantee schemes would continue.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje and other BJP leaders accused the Congress government of providing houses to “illegal immigrants” evicted from government land at Kogilu. Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka alleged that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh were residing in the area using fake Aadhaar cards.
