Following the news that the four Uighur men are no longer employed at the Port Royal Golf Course, Senator Michael Dunkley has asked about their futures and what will happen to them, asking are “the Uighurs free to seek employment on the island, even though they appear not to be able to comply with Immigration requirements for foreign nationals, such as leaving the island to apply for work, and being proficient in English?”

The four men [ Khaleel Mamut,  Abdulla Abdulqadir,  Salahidin Abdulahat,  Ablikim Turahun] were released from the offshore US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and resettled in Bermuda in July 2009. The Chinese nationals were granted employment at the Government owned golf course soon after their arrival. The men were cleared of security concerns after being imprisoned by the US Government for years without charge.

The four were being paid approximately $51,000 a year each for their work as  groundsmen at the Port Royal Golf Course. The Government Labour Force Survey conducted a few weeks prior [during 13 – 19 May 2009],  showed there were over 1,700 unemployed Bermudians in that timeframe, with 1,139 being male. [ PDF report]

Senator Dunkley also asks if the four men have been paying for their living expenses, and “if the government has been subsidizing their living expenses, will these costs continue to be paid by the government.” Premier Dr Ewart Brown had previously stated that the US Government had agreed to pay for relocation expenses up to $100,000 per man.

The full statement by Senator Michael Dunkley, Shadow Minister Labour and Immigration, is below:

This morning we learned that the Uighurs, after a year working Government-provided jobs at Port Royal Golf Course, have joined thousands of long-suffering Bermudians in the ranks of the unemployed.

We have some questions about the plans for these four men given their unique exemption from Immigration rules that are aggressively enforced on all others.

Our questions are directed to the Premier because of his pivotal role in secretly bringing them to island in violation of the Bermuda’s Constitution.

The Premier defended his role in the Uighur caper, as driven by moral concern for their well-being.

So our first question is: What is now going to happen to them as a result of their Port Royal jobs being terminated?

Are the Uighurs free to seek employment on the island, even though they appear not to be able to comply with Immigration requirements for foreign nationals, such as leaving the island to apply for work, and being proficient in English?

Since finding them jobs at Port Royal as well as places to live, have the Uighurs been paying for their housing and all associated costs, as do all Bermudians and foreign nationals residing here? If the government has been subsidizing their living expenses, will these costs continue to be paid by the government?

Finally, what is the status of the discussions between the US and the UK on the Uighurs?

Update 3:40pm: Government announced this afternoon that the four Uighur men have secured employment in the private sector, with the specific company not stated.

http://bernews.com/2010/10/dunkley-questions-on-uighurs-employment/