Countries blame China

Dozens of countries yesterday voiced concern at alleged abuses in China's Xinjiang region, and demanded that the UN rights chief publish a long-delayed report on the rights situation there. Delivering a joint statement on behalf of 47 countries, the Netherlands ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council Paul Bekkers pointed to a number of "credible reports" -- vehemently denied by Beijing -- indicating that more than one million Uyghurs and other minorities have been arbitrarily detained in the region. The countries, he said, "repeat our call on China to urgently address these concerns," and to "end the arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and other minorities".