800k to 2 million religious minorities detained in Chinese internment camps: US
Washington, Dec 6 : An estimated 800,000 to 2 million religious minorities are currently being detained in internment camps in China, the Trump Administration has told lawmakers, who have expressed serious concerns over the massive human rights violations there.
At a Congressional hearing here, Scott Busby, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State at the Bureau of the Human Right Democracy and Labor, alleged that Beijing was supporting similar repressive moves by other authoritarian regimes across the globe.
"The US government assesses that since April 2017, Chinese authorities have indefinitely detained at least 800,000, and possibly more than 2 million, Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs and members of other Muslim minorities in internment camps," he said.
Testifying before a Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee, Busby said reports suggested that most of those detained were not being charged, and their families had little or no information about their whereabouts.
At first, China denied the existence of such camps, but as public reports have emerged, Chinese authorities now assert that they are "vocational education centres", which glosses over the fact that many renowned Uyghur intellectuals and retired professionals are also detained in these camps, he said.
Former detainees, who have reached safety, have spoken of relentless indoctrination and harsh conditions for example, praying and other religious practices are forbidden.
"The apparent goal is to force detainees to renounce Islam and embrace the Chinese Communist Party," Busby said.
Life outside the internment camps is not much better, he noted. Neighbourhoods have entry and exit checkpoints manned by armed police. Families have been forced to accept Chinese officials into their homes for extended home-stays. Thousands of mosques have been shuttered or destroyed, while some turned into communist propaganda centres, Busby alleged.
"Unfortunately, fleeing China is not enough to escape the long arms of the government. China has routinely pressured other countries to return Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs and members of other Muslim minority groups, which has often proven successful," he told the lawmakers.
Even when such individuals reach safety, China continues to harass and intimidate them. China's repression of minority groups does not end in Xinjiang, he said.
Its policies have spread hundreds of miles away, for instance to the Hui Muslim communities. Tibetans also face continued repression and pervasive surveillance. The Tibetan Autonomous Region was the testing ground for many of the techniques now used in Xinjiang, Busby claimed.
Senator Cory Gardner said the so-called authoritarian closing under President Xi Jinping had resulted in an unprecedented and intensifying crackdown on civil society, ethnic minorities and religious freedom in China.
"The news of mass concentration camps for Uyghur Muslims and the Xinjiang Autonomous Province has shocked the conscience. And this necessitates a serious response from the United States and the international community," he said.
Senator Ed Markey said it was pretty clear that there was a systematic effort by the Chinese government, not just within China, but also around the world, to back those policies which are most repressive and which allow for a compromise of human rights.
Senator Tim Kaine said reports indicated that a million Han Chinese have been recruited to forcibly occupy homes of Uyghurs so that those not in detention camps, are having Han Chinese placed in their homes to ensure there isn't a Quran visible and they don't pray during the day.
Senator Marco Rubio rued the silence of the Muslim world in the face of the forced internment of hundreds of thousands of Muslims Uyghurs.
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Indian mobile hospital treats over 2,200 cyclone-hit people as New Delhi ramps up relief efforts in
Colombo (PTI): A mobile hospital set up by India in Sri Lanka has provided medical care to over 2,200 people affected by Cyclone Ditwah, as New Delhi ramped up its assistance to the flood-ravaged island nation with engineering support and delivery of fresh relief consignments, the Indian mission here said on Sunday.
Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by the cyclone, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity.
At least 627 people have been killed and 190 remain missing as of Sunday noon due to catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.
Sharing a social media post by the Ministry of External Affairs on its X handle, the Indian High Commission said a field hospital set up by India in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy has provided medical care to more than 2,200 people affected by the cyclone since December 5.
The hospital has also performed 67 minor procedures and three surgeries, it said. The field hospital was airlifted to Sri Lanka by an IAF C-17 aircraft along with a 78-member Indian medical team on Tuesday.
In another post, the mission said Indian Army engineers, working with Sri Lanka Army Engineers and the Road Development Authority, in Kilinochchi have begun removing a damaged bridge on the Paranthan–Karachchi–Mullaitivu (A35) road, a key route disrupted by the cyclone.
"This joint effort marks another step toward restoring vital connectivity for affected communities," it said.
India has additionally sent nearly 1,000 tonnes of food items and clothing contributed by the people of Tamil Nadu. Of these, about 300 tonnes reached Colombo on Sunday morning aboard three Indian Naval ships.
High Commissioner Santosh Jha handed over the supplies to Sri Lankan Minister for Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe.
India, on November 28, launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu', a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative, to aid Sri Lanka in its recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Since the launch of the operation, India has provided about 58 tonnes of relief material, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, essential cloths, water purification kits and about 4.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment, the Indian mission said in a press release on Sunday.
Another 60 tonnes of equipment, including generators, inflatable rescue boats, Outboard Motors, and excavators, have also been brought to Sri Lanka, it said, adding that 185 tonnes of Bailey Bridge units were airlifted to restore critical connectivity along with 44 engineers.
Two columns of the National Disaster Response Force, comprising 80 experts and K9 units with specially trained dogs, assisted with immediate rescue and relief efforts in Sri Lanka.
Besides the field hospital in Mahiyanganaya, medical centres have also been set up in the badly hit Ja-Ela region and in Negombo. INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri, and INS Sukanya provided immediate rescue and relief assistance to Sri Lanka.
Apart from the two Chetak helicopters deployed from INS Vikrant, two heavy-lift, MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force are actively involved in evacuations and airlifting relief material, the release said.
At the request of the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre, a virtual meeting was organised between DMC and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s National Remote Sensing Centre on Saturday.
Since the onset of the disaster, ISRO has been providing maps to assist DMC in its rescue efforts, the release said.
