Most detainees of the mass internment camps in Xinjiang, in China’s far west, have been released, according to senior officials with the regional government. Alken Tuniaz, vice-chairman of the Xinjiang government, made the claim at a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, when he was asked to give an account of the detainees being held in camps where United Nations experts have said more than 1 million ethnic Uygurs and other Muslim minorities were held.
“You asked about the number of people, but the situation in the centres is fluid as the people come and go. Most of them have completed their study and found new jobs,” Tuniaz said. Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the regional government, said about 90 per cent of the people who had been “educated” at the “training centres” and released had found suitable jobs. In the past two years, Xinjiang officials have repeatedly sidestepped questions about how many Uygurs were being held in what they call “training centres”.
“You asked about the number of people, but the situation in the centres is fluid as the people come and go. Most of them have completed their study and found new jobs,” Tuniaz said. Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the regional government, said about 90 per cent of the people who had been “educated” at the “training centres” and released had found suitable jobs. In the past two years, Xinjiang officials have repeatedly sidestepped questions about how many Uygurs were being held in what they call “training centres”.
