None of them arouse the curiosity of the locals in the streets of the village of Babruu (on the outskirts of Tirana), any more. The eight Chinese citizens have shaven off their beards, and with each passing day they try their hardest to adapt, not only to Albanian customs, but also to the way of life here. They have begun to learn Albanian, to respect the hours of worship at the local mosque, but also their comings and goings at the Centre for Asylum Seekers. They lead an almost silent existence and do their utmost to “blend in” avoiding the slightest gesture that would attract the attention of the other locals. “Almost” is the right word, because, sometimes, things that are slightly out of the ordinary have happened. For example, a love affair between one of the Uighurs and an Albanian woman.
One of the former prisoners, has now begun to relish his newly won freedom and is ready to recommence everything again. What better than a love affair to give a person the strength to put a bad chapter in his life behind him.
Reliable sources say that the youngest of the eight Uighur males who arrived in Albania a few months ago, is to marry an Albanian girl. The mosque at which the religious rituals took place has now become a starting point for a new life of the Uighur with the his young Albanian betrothed. So far, the young couple, as Albanian custom has it, have only met “to drink coffee” together, an indication of intent to marry. However the date of the wedding is still to be decided upon. The fact that the young man has no identification papers could also be a problem for this young man from China.
What are the others doing?
While everyone is expecting the climax to a love story, the other Uighurs are spending their days studying the Albanian language and devoting themselves to religious study. Reliable sources tell us that Abu Bakker Qassim buys nothing other than books on the market. After seven months of living in Albania, he now speaks Albania reasonably well. Although this country has at least offered them peace and tranquillity, none of the former prisoners have accepted to speak.
Just as reserved is the Director of the Asylum Seekers Centre Ali Rasha. According to him the eight former prisoners of Guantanamo are political asylum seekers and any statements may threaten their freedom, their rights and their life.
Albania, “the promised land” for the Chinese, Indians, Palestinians and Moroccans.
More than 40 persons stay at the Asylum Seekers Centre, waiting to be granted status of refugee for years. (Legislative procedures foresee 51 days waiting to gain the status of refugee).
For some of the refugees, entering the Asylum Seekers Centre, it seems like “the promised land” to them. For the majority of the Asylum seekers, Albania has actually become the sole alternative of survival as they have been proclaimed “enemies of the nation” in their own countries. At a time when a part of the Albanian population would do anything to be able to leave this country, the requests of these forty refugees to be granted status of refugee here in Albania, appears really strange. These individuals from Bangladesh, Morocco, Palestine, China, Korea, Macedonia or Kosovo seek such a fortune with persistence.
Balis Halili is one of the first persons who has requested status of refugee, as early as in 1999, and has still not received a reply from the Albanian authorities. And whilst Balisi has challenged the long wait by integrating into Albanian life (he has left the centre and is living by his own means somewhere else in Tirana), it appears that none of the other asylum seekers can do this as they all remain in the centre. The language barrier, the customs, education or a possible threat to their lives, as is the case with the 8 Uighurs, has made the majority of them wait until they have an ID card issued to them.
Different from other centres in different countries, the inhabitants of Tirana’s centre are free to have a private life.
They are free to come and go from the camp and the State pays for different qualification courses for each asylum seekers. Some of them have chosen to learn Albanian, others attend vocational schools, the State covers their board and food, medical care and any other social service. The asylum seekers are completely free to exercise their religious rituals, the majority of whom are Moslems. With the exception of the Chinese, (there are about ten of them in the Centre), it appears that none of the asylum seekers prefer to find gainful employment, or even work on the black market.
By coincidence
in Albania
With the exception of the 8 Uighurs who came from the Guantanamo Prison and several individuals from Kosovo, it seems that the rest of the asylum seekers find themselves in Albania by coincidence. Different sources say that a part of the asylum seekers were victims of trafficking and that their final destination was Europe. Although they have gained the status of asylum seekers, it is somewhat surprising how 16 Chinese have ended up in Albania, 20 Indians, 10 from Bagladesh and even from Korea. Even Jemi admits this, who also departed from China to live in a western country. First of all he tried to get into Greece on a visa he had managed to secure, but he got stuck in Albania because he lost his documents.
