Defending their policies at a session of China’s legislative meeting, the National People’s Congress, officials said the camps — which China describes as vocational training centers — would be phased out if no longer needed. If one day our society doesn’t need them, the education and training centers will disappear,” said Shohrat Zakir the governor of the region and its most senior Uighur official. “I believe [the camps] are part of a long-term plan for social control not just in Xinjiang,” he said. Other reports say the camps are feeding into a forced labor system where detainees are released but ordered to work in textile factories. DETAINING ACTIVISTSWhile relatives of those within Xinjiang are becoming more vocal, activists are also coming under pressure.

Source: Taipei Times March 13, 2019 16:03 UTC