UIGHUR RESETTLEMENT: GOI UNLIKELY TO RESPOND

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 008188 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2015 TAGS: MOPS PREL PTER KAWC PHUM PREF PINR IN SUBJECT: UIGHUR RESETTLEMENT: GOI UNLIKELY TO RESPOND POSITIVELY REF: STATE 183800 Classified By: Charge Robert O. Blake for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) In response to reftel demarche, MEA Joint Secretary (Americas) S Jaishankar told the Charge on October 15 that the GOI would consider the US request for assistance in resettling Uighur detainees, but suggested that the answer would be no. "You know why," he added. Comment -------------- ¶2. (C) At a period when New Delhi is eagerly pursuing closer ties with China and is trying to minimize even the public profile of its long-standing support for Tibetans in order to avoid antagonizing its neighbor, we do not expect the GOI to accept persons whom Beijing considers criminals and terrorists. India's own internal terrorism concerns, and evidence of transnational linkages, only add to the bias inside the GOI against accepting this US request. MULFORD