Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

A11
WORLD NEWS Tuesday 10 december 2019

China claims everyone in Xinjiang camps has ‘graduated’

By YANAN WANG ing Communist Party. They
Associated Press were subject to indoctrina-
BEIJING (AP) — People tion and torture, the de-
who were at vocational tainees said.
training centers in China’s While Chinese authorities
far west Xinjiang have all have described the deten-
“graduated” and are liv- tions as a form of vocation-
ing happy lives, an official al training, classified docu-
said Monday. But Uighurs ments recently leaked to a
and other predominantly consortium of news organi-
Muslim ethnic minorities zations revealed a deliber-
from the region say their ate strategy to lock up eth-
family members continue nic minorities even though
to be arbitrarily detained in they had not committed
camps and prisons. any crimes.Xu Hairong,
Shohrat Zakir, Xinjiang’s the Communist Party chief
Uighur governor, made of Urumqi city, Xinjiang’s
the remarks during a press capital, did not dispute
briefing as part of a strident the documents’ authentic-
propaganda campaign ity. He said, however, that
launched following U.S. there was no such thing as
Congress’ approval last “detention camps.”
week of the Uighur Human “The reports by The New
Rights Policy Act. York Times, the Internation-
“When the lives of people Shohrat Zakir, chairman of China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, center, waits for questions al Consortium of Investiga-
of all ethnic groups in Xin- during a press conference in Beijing on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. Associated Press tive Journalists and other
jiang were seriously threat- foreign media organiza-
ened by terrorism, the U.S. working in peace, the U.S. and others. It also raises relatives have told The As- tions are purely malicious
turned a deaf ear,” Zakir feels uneasy, and attacks possible sanctions against sociated Press that the attempts to smear and dis-
said at a press briefing. and smears Xinjiang.” Chinese government offi- centers for “re-education” credit Xinjiang’s vocational
“On the contrary, now that The U.S. legislation con- cials deemed responsible were essentially prisons education centers and its
Xinjiang society is steadily demns the mass detentions for human rights abuses in where they were forced counter-terrorism and de-
developing and people of of an estimated more than Xinjiang. to renounce Islam and ex- radicalization efforts,” Xu
all ethnicities are living and 1 million Uighurs, Kazakhs Former detainees and their press gratitude to the rul- said.q

Flamboyant governor of Kenya’s capital charged with graft

TOM ODULA shillings worth thousands of helicopter. He was found
Associated Press dollars. in the town of Voi, 204
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Mbuvi is known for contro- miles (329 kilometers) from
The flamboyant governor versy and his flamboyant the capital.
of Kenya’s capital city, lifestyle, like wearing gold A scuffle ensued, captured
Nairobi, was Monday rings, chains, watches and on video in which about
charged with 19 counts clothes. He prefers be- 10 police officers are seen
of graft-related charges ing called “Sonko” which attempting to take Mbuvi
as the country struggles means rich man in Kenya’s into the helicopter as he
to tackle runaway corrup- Sheng slang. resisted, wearing one shoe.
tion. A heavy police presence Police have said they will
Mike Gideon Mbuvi, widely was deployed in the capi- charge him for resisting ar-
known as Mike Sonko, de- tal ahead of his court ap- rest. Mbuvi’s lawyer, Cecil
nied the charges including pearance after police said Miller Jr., said Mbuvi suf- Nairobi governor Mike Gideon Mbuvi appears with other
embezzlement and money there was information that fered rib fractures from his suspects accused of corruption, at the Mililani law court in
laundering. The Ethics and his supporters were plan- encounter with the police. Nairobi, Kenya, Monday Dec. 9, 2019.
Anti-Corruption Commis- ning demonstrations. Mbuvi has denied at- Associated Press
sion alleges Mbuvi award- Mbuvi was arrested on Fri- tempting to escape say- to deny Mbuvi bail be- Mbuvi be held in a remand
ed contracts to friends’ day, after one of the big- ing the Ethic and Anti-Cor- cause he was a flight risk. prison until the application
companies, which after re- gest manhunts in Kenyan ruption Commission should The court has moved bail is determined.
ceiving payment, wired to history that involved up to have just summoned him. application hearing to This is the latest high-
Mbuvi’s accounts Kenyan 200 police officers and a The state asked the court Wednesday and ordered level.q