Palau Muslims await detainees' arrival

Koror, Palau: At the call to prayer, the men turn one by one down a narrow path through the jungle, marked only by a towering coconut tree.

Hidden at the end of the dirt track stands the sole mosque in Palau, the tiny Pacific nation that has agreed to take in a group of Chinese Muslim detainees from Guantanamo Bay.

For the small group of about 500 Muslims in this predominantly Christian nation, this is a spiritual sanctuary.

Most are workers from Bangladesh, who began landing on this remote archipelago over a dozen years ago, seeking better jobs and peace.

Reflecting local sentiment, they expressed mixed feelings yesterday about the expected arrival of 13 Guantanamo detainees.