GENEVA: The UN human rights chief said Tuesday that her office and China’s government have reached an agreement for her to visit in May the western region of Xinjiang.
Xinjiang is where human rights groups and Western governments have alleged that genocide and other crimes are being carried out against the predominantly Muslim minority group known as Uyghurs.
Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the Human Rights Council by video message that she was pleased to announce the visit and that concrete preparations have begun.
She said the Chinese government has also accepted the visit of an advance team from her office next month “to prepare my stay in China, including on-site visits to Xinjiang and other places.”
Bachelet has talked about hoping to visit Xinjiang nearly since she took office in 2018. Her office has also been compiling a long-awaited -– and much-delayed -– report into alleged human rights abuses in the region.
Separately, Human Rights Watch said a total of 195 human rights groups in an open letter released Tuesday are calling on Bachelet to “urgently” release the report on “Chinese government rights violations targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic communities.”
Diplomats in Geneva have said the report has been ready — or very close to it — for months. Speaking to the rights council on Thursday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on Bachelet’s office to release the report.
Human rights groups and others have focused much of their criticism on what they call detention centers set up by the Chinese government for Uyghurs and others in the region.
Beijing says the sites are vocational training centers aimed at helping improve economic fortunes and counteract bouts of extremist violence in Xinjiang.
“Human rights groups have become increasingly concerned that the UN human rights office has still not published its long-awaited report on Xinjiang, even as the atrocity crimes pile up,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will re-open to all vaccinated tourists from April 1, authorities said Tuesday, joining a growing number of countries removing restrictions in an attempt to live with COVID-19.
The tourism-reliant Southeast Asian country, known for its white-sand beaches and lush rainforests, shut its borders in March 2020 but will now require only a negative coronavirus test to enter.
“The government has decided to open its borders on April 1, 2022,” Prime Minister Ismail Sabri said in media briefing.
“We believe this decision will boost our economy and help revive our ailing tourism sector.”
The re-opening comes despite Malaysia reporting more than 25,000 infections a day in recent weeks, though most cases have been mild.
Its decision mirrors those of neighboring nations including Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines that are progressively easing entry rules to lure back tourists.
Malaysia’s economy contracted 5.6 percent in 2020 as Covid hit but rebounded slightly to grow 3.1 percent last year.
Malaysia-based AirAsia, one of Southeast Asia’s top budget airlines, called the move “timely” and said it “will provide a strong impetus” for recovery in tourism and aviation.
Group chief executive Bo Lingam told AFP the carrier hoped to move around a million passengers in the first week.
Vaccinated travelers will not be subject to quarantine but will need to produce a negative PCR test two days before arrival and take an antigen test in the 24 hours after entry.
Previously only travelers from Singapore were allowed quarantine-free entry.
Malaysia has recorded more than 3.6 million Covid cases to date with more than 33,000 deaths.
About 80 percent of the country’s 32 million population have been fully vaccinated.