lt is understood the campaign will be conducted jinder the guise of a drive against the spread of illegal migrants. According to die central administration‘s policy, all residents without a resident‘s licence, work permit or valid identity card are regarded as illegal residents.

Most migrants from Xinjiang living in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen fall foul of these requirements, sources say. The crackdown came after secessionists in the restive Xinjiang province vowed to exact revenge for die deaths oftheir comrades in Februaiy riots and subsequent exedutions.

A series ofbomb blasts rocked Beijing and die Xrnjiang capital ofUrumqi in February, leaving at least mne dead and dozens injured. Chinese President Jiang Zemin has laid down four priorities for security arrangements during the handover.

Officials should look to ensure smoothness, stability, the safety of state leaders and an incident-free period, according to sources. To ensure a peaceful transition, all major leaders in the relevant central mimstnes and regional governments are working round-the-clock to prepare thorough security arrangements.

A hotline between departments in all major cities has been set up to ensure speedy communication in case of emergency. A Communist Partyofflcial in Xinjiang said security forces were preparing for secessionist attacks during the handover. He said all officials in the region had cancelled holidays over the handover period.

(2) URUMQI COURT SENTENCES BUS BOMBERS TO DEATH Urumqi Xinjiang Television Network, 05/29197

This morning, the Urumqi City Intermediate People‘s Court held a public-sentencing rally at die chief courthouse of the Autonomous Regional Higher People‘s Court to pass final verdicts according to law on 12 convicts mvolved in die 25 Februaiy bus bombings case. Mahmut Abdurahman and seven other convicts were sentenced to deadi on such charges as bomb-planting, murder, and robbe‘y, with their political rights deprived for life. [Video opens with a wide shot of die dock of the courthouse, cutting to show each of the 12 convicts in medium-range shots, with hands cuffed, legs chained, a rope around the neck, and held in die back by three guards in military uniform]

After premeditating the plot of launching terrorist bombing acts in mid-Janua‘y 1997 in Urumqi City, Mahniut Abdurahman and odier convicts illegally purchased such explosive devices as dynamite and detonators and incited others to buy other crimmal tools, which led to the making of five time bombs.

On die moming of 25 Februaiy, Mahmut Abdurahman gadiered his accomplices together to once agam premeditate and agree on the plot of detonating bombs on buses from 1630 to 1730 Urumqi time of that day.Eventually, they placed the five time bombs on Routes No. 2, No.3, No.l0, No.44, and No.58 buses respectively, causing explosions of two buses while traveling along their routes. One of the explosive devices placed on a bus was discovered by its passengers and exploded after being tbrown out of the bus, while the others placed on two other buses failed to expiode. The consequences of this incident were so serious that nine people were killed and 58 others injured.

After being tried by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomaus Regional Higher People‘s Court in accordance with our country‘s law and the legal provision of allowing higher people‘s courts to ratify some of the death penalty cases with the Supreme People‘s Court‘s authorization, convicts Malunut Abdurahman, [Abdulah Momajil, Abul‘ahat Memet, [Usun Amitil, [Yusufu Ayitij, jMustafa Lua], [Aily Yuyimu], and Jilil Bilali were sentenced to death according to law and executed immediately after the rally.

fas die announcer reads the report, video pans the fully packed courthouse and occassionally shows closeups of the judge reading verdicts on the stage; one shot shows approximately a dozen armed guards seated among the audience]

Convict [Ibahim Tobutil, who committed such particularly serious crimes as murder and robbery, should have been seriously punished. But since he had performed major meritorious services by making a clean breast of bis crimes and exposing others‘ criminal offenses after being plaeed under arrest, he was sentenced to deadi according to law, with a two-year stay of execution.

(3) TERRORISIS EXECUTED FOR BOMBINGS, KILLINGS IN XINJIANG Beijing Xinhua, 05/29/97

The Higber People‘s Court of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region announced in its final verdicts that Mahmut Abdurahman, Jilil Bilali and six other persons were sentenced to death for committing violent terrorist crimes ,,by extremely cruel and criminal means."

The court also gave another four accomplices the death penalty with a two-year reprieve, life iniprisonment and jail ternis for murder, robbery and larceny respectively.

The Urumqi Intermediate People‘s Court on May 16 issued its verdicts regarding on the first instance, which occurred on February 25, saying that the 12-member gang placed live homemade explosive devices on public buses in Urumqi, the capital city of the autonomous region.Three of the live explosive devices exploded, killing nine passengers and injuring 58, who were all innocent local residents of die Uygur, Han, Hui and Kirgiz etbnic groups.

(6) XINJIANG AUTONOMOUS REGION RIOTS DESCRIBED Tokyo AERA, 05/26/97

By Issbi Shu, freelance writer

(Incomplete, editor ofWIJNN.)

,,Even now, public security officers come here almost everyday." So said, the 3 8-year-old Uygur woman who showed me the remains of bullets that were fired at her parents‘ honse. lt is a private honse located about 30 km from Yining city, major city of die Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. According to what tbis woman and her neighbors have told me, arined police officers and soldiers of the People‘s Liberation Army [PLA] came to the house all of a sudden and shot to death seven men, including her fadier, family members, and men who happened to be in the house. All of diem are Muslims. On the walls ofthe house, 1 can still see the remains of tens of bullets. 1 found the house as quiet as a grave.

The incident happened on the evening of 8 February. The Muslims who had gadiered at tbis house were performing a religious service. When armed police officers held rifles at die ready, women bid themselves under beds. However, the 70- year-old mother was pulled out and taken away. Family members still cannot get in touch with her because her whereabouts are unknown.

The slain father was a religious man who believed in Islam. He used to hold religious services at home but he was not a ,,clergyman" as audiorized by the government authorities. In other words, he was an unofl7icial leader. To engage in religious activities in Cbina, one has to obtain government‘s approval. Activities by people without a permit are regarded as ,,fake religious activities." Precautions are taken against them because they are regarded as ,,members of minority nationalities engaged in instigating secessiomst or independent moves." He was probably marked out by the authorities.

The following preceded tbis incident. One of bis sons used to make a living by selling music cassette tapes. He was arrested by the authonties because he had been distributing free cassette tapes of ,,the Koran," Islamic scripture. lt is not permitted to distribute free cassette tapes ofthe Koran in this region.

For some unknown reason, the son was suddenly set free on 5 February, three days before the incident. Smce the son was at home that day, he was shot to death. Many Young People are Jobless In fact, a riot also broke out in Yining city on 5 February. Later on, it was reported as ,,die largest riot that has ever taken place since the founding ofNew China." lt has been reported that another riot broke ont in the same city on 24 April. The second riot broke out after die court gave its verdict on those who were arrested in February. Reportedly, the not broke out when abaut 1,000 Uygur people tried to release prisoners from a prison van.

lt was just a few days before die second riot when 1 arrived in the autonomous region for a visit. Giradually 1 came to understand that soldiers and armod police officers were patrolling Yining streets and that plamclothes police officers who had mingled among the crowd were keeping an alert watch. The authorities seemed to be particularly nervons abont actions offoreign visitors.

Cash Rewards Offered to lnformants Here is Osman‘s testimony: What we witnessed on 5 February was a horrible scene. About 700 or 800 young men of minority nationalities who had been arrested earlier were whipped und forced to walk from the Citizens‘ Hospital by public security officials. lt was a cold day but diey were ordered to take off dieir jackets, sweaters, and hats. Clothes they had taken off were scattered on die streets for several hundred meters long from the Hospital. All of them were devout Muslims; nearly all of diem were young men aged from 14 to 25; some ofthem were females.

A cash reward from 20,000 to 200,000 yuan (one yuan is equal to about 15 yen) will be offered to informants. Many jobless people have found it hard to make a living. Since it is easy to make a lot of money by reporting on other people, there are some Uygur people turn into informants.

Ihe Illusionary Nation of ,,the Eastem Turkistan" Meanwhile, Han nationals were probibited from gaing out for several days following the ,,riot" diat broke out an 5 February. lt is said that die ,,protest

demonstration" launched by the Uygurs was reported in TV news programs. 1 asked Osman and Ismail to trace die course diat the Uygurs were forced to walk. lt took about 50 minutes to trace tbis course on foot.

In die city, there is a street named: ,,Street of the Han People." Contrary to the name, 1 could hardly see any Han national there. The street has been turned into a site where the Uygurs hold their bazaar.

1 paid a visit to diis bazaar, and found it to be crowded widi people. However, they looked gloomy Although it was on the eve of die major festival known as the Globan [name as transliteratedJ Festival, the market seemed to be devoid of cheerful liveliness.

And it was also on 5 February that a city microbus and a public security patrol car were set on lire in the Street of Han People. lt was in tbis Yining city that die founding of the ,,Republic of Eastern Turkistan" was declarecl and its provisional government launched in 1944. Because of tbis bistoncal fact, die residents here feel that diey are a special group among the Uygurs.

(7) X1NJIANG‘S KARAMAY PETROCHEMICAL PLANT CLOSES Beijing Zhongguo Xinwen She, 06/03/97

Prior to die plant commencing Operations it had not been examined by the environmental protection department and sewage disposal equipment had not even been installed. The surrounding environment has been badly polluted by the plant after its production with die daily volume of same 3,400 cubic metres of sewage, and a large quantity of chlondes, wbich were discharged withaut prior treatment.

(8) AGRICULTURAL WATER PROJECT STARTS IN XINJIANG OIL FIELD Beijuig Zhongguo Xinwen She, 05/29/97

Since tbe beginning of the 1 990s, Xinjiang has bad a grand plan to spend RMB 10 billion in the northem area of die region to exploit water resources and to develop 10 million mu (about 6,6 70 square kilometres) of arable land. The agricultural development of tbe Karamay oil lield is part of tbis strategy and could produce an annual yield of 5 billion kilograms ofgrains.

Upon completion of the 439 kilometre diversionary work in July 1999, die supply of water in the oil lield will no longer be a problem and an annual 400 million cubic metres of water can be transmitted to the area for agricultural purposes.

According to the Xinjiang Oil Administrative Bureau, the autonomous region will carly out construction of irrigation and water conservancy infrastructures during the present live-year plan (1996-2000). By die year 2000, a total of some 334 square kilometres of agricultural lields will be established, after wbich time a modern farming and animal husbandry base in an area of approximately two million mu (about 1,334 square kilometres) will be set up.

Prepared by:

Abdulrakhim Aitbayev (rakhim@lochbrandy.mines.edu)

WUNN newsletter index

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The World Uyghur Network News electronic newsletter is produced by the Eastern Turkistan Information Center (ETIC) in cooperation with the Taklamakan Uighur Human Rights Association (USA), and is devoted to the current political, cultural and economic developments in Eastern Turkistan and to the Uyghur people related issues.

Eastern Turkistan (Sherqiy Turkistan in Uyghur) is a name used by the indigenous people of the region for their motherland located in what is at present the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic China.

The World Uyghur Network News brings information on situation in Eastern Turkistan from the Uyghur and other sources to the attention of the international community.

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