In an unlikely twist to the men's inter-continental odyssey, the tiny Pacific island with a population of 20,000 agreed to US requests to accommodate the men who were detained during US-led military operations in Afghanistan.

American authorities cleared the Uighurs of any wrongdoing four years ago but they have been stuck in legal limbo ever since as no country other than China would agree to have them.

Washington refused to hand them over to China for fear they would suffer torture.

Xinjiang, a vast area that borders Central Asia, has about 8.3 million Uighurs, and many members of the mostly Muslim community say they have for decades suffered under Chinese political and religious persecution.

US lawmakers also shot down President Barack Obama's plans to resettle at least some of them in the United States, alleging they still posed a security risk.

Rebiya Kadeer, the Uighur leader-in-exile who lives near Washington, said she delighted the "beautiful island nation of Palau" had accepted the men.

"It is a joy to know that a country has finally boldly stepped out wanting them at a time when many countries are not sure because of Chinese pressure."

Beijing, vexed by Washington's decision to send the Uighurs to Palau, on Thursday urged the United States to repatriate the Uighur "terrorist suspects" soon.

"China urges the US to implement the UN Security Council's relevant resolutions and its international obligations on counter-terrorism," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.

The United States should "stop handing over terrorist suspects to any third country so as to (repatriate) them to China at an early date."

The United States earlier repatriated five Uighurs to Albania, where they lived without incident and landed low-profile jobs such as making pizzas. China pressed Albania and other nations not to take in more of the Uighurs.

Kadeer said she did not believe the issue was settled, voicing hope the former Guantanamo detainees could eventually move to the West.

"Our hope is always that these Uighurs be released and resettled in a Western democracy where their human rights and freedoms are guaranteed," said Kadeer, who spent some six years in a Chinese prison and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Palau's President Johnson Toribiong said he wanted to let the men restart their lives as a "humanitarian gesture." But he said they would only "temporarily" resettle on the island.

Nury Turkel, a Uighur-American lawyer who is part of the men's legal team, voiced appreciation to Palau but said it was hardly ideal to send men from the mountains and deserts of China's Xinjiang to a remote island.

"It's good that they can walk freely, but the decision wasn't made looking at their future, such as whether they can integrate into a society where they don't have any cultural or linguistic links," Turkel said.

Amnesty International said the Palau deal raised more questions than it answered, including whether the men could be reunited with their families or receive support to adapt to their new home.

Obama has vowed to shut down the Guantanamo Bay camp, seen by many both at home and abroad as a symbol of excesses conducted in the name of his predecessor George W. Bush's "war on terror."

The United States is finalizing a 200-million-dollar package for Palau, which was under US administration until 1994. But State Department spokesman Ian Kelly denied any link with the transfer of the Uighurs.

Palau has little to lose in relations with Beijing -- it is one of six Pacific island nations that recognize Taiwan rather than China.

earlier related report
China tells US to hand back Uighur Guantanamo detainees
Beijing (AFP) June 11 - China on Thursday called on the United States to hand over a group of ethnic Uighurs held at Guantanamo Bay rather than send them to the tiny Pacific nation of Palau, which has offered to resettle them.

The strong reaction from Beijing, which says the 17 Uighurs are members of an Islamic insurgent group operating in far western China, came one day after Palau said it had agreed to take them in temporarily.

The United States should "stop handing over terrorist suspects to any third country," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters, adding the Uighurs should be sent back to China "at an early date."

"China urges the US to implement the UN Security Council's relevant resolutions and its international obligations on counter-terrorism," he said.

"China also opposes any third country taking these terrorist suspects."

The detainees were part of a group of 22 Uighurs living in a self-contained camp in Afghanistan when the US-led invasion of the country began in October 2001, in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

They said they had fled to Afghanistan to escape persecution in their home region of Xinjiang in western China.

The United States cleared the men of wrongdoing four years ago but they remained at the controversial US-run prison camp in Cuba due to fears they would be tortured if handed to China.

Five of the Uighurs have been resettled in Albania, which was reluctant to accept any more after angering Beijing. The United States tried in vain to get Canada, Australia and Germany to take in some of the remaining 17 Uighurs.

The US Department of Justice announced Thursday that four of the Uighurs had been resettled in Bermuda.

Qin said the Uighur detainees were "members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement" -- a group listed by the United Nations and the United States as a terrorist organisation.

"East Turkestan" is what many Muslims call Xinjiang, which borders Central Asia and is home to about 8.3 million Uighurs.

Many members of the mainly Muslim community say they have suffered under Chinese political and religious persecution for decades.

Palau's President Johnson Toribiong said in a statement earlier this week that he was "honoured and proud that the United States has asked Palau to assist with such a critical task."

He described the decision as "a humanitarian gesture intended to help them be freed from any further unnecessary incarceration and to restart their lives anew in as normal fashion as possible."

A senior US official said Wednesday that Washington was still considering Palau's offer and that "no final decision" had been made about the fate of the Uighurs.

Both a spokesman for the US State Department and Toribiong denied that his offer was linked to the finalisation of a 200-million-dollar aid package for Palau.

Palau, which has a population of about 21,000, is one of 23 countries which gives formal diplomatic recognition to Taiwan rather than China.

In October 2008, a federal judge had ordered the Uighurs released in the United States, but that ruling was overturned on appeal in February.

The detainees have been in limbo since the administration of US President Barack Obama asked the US Supreme Court to reject a request by the Uighurs to be released on US soil.

The White House contends that the decision whether to allow aliens to enter the United States rests solely with the political branches of government.

Obama has promised to close down the detention centre by January 2010, and hopes to convince other countries to take in some of the 50 detainees cleared for release.

The Uighurs are held at "Camp Iguana," a special area for detainees cleared for release. They have more freedom and greater privileges than most prisoners, including a recreational space and a library, according to the Pentagon.

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