An electronic newsletter Produced by the Eastern Turkistan Information Center No: 47 1 July 1997 In this issue: (1) ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS OF THE UYGHURS DURING HONG KONG RETURN CEREMONIES Eastern Turkistan Information Center, 7/2/97 (2) SHENZHEN ON ETHNIC TERROR ATTACK ALERT Agence France-Presse, 6/28/97 (3) TROOPS IN CHINA STEP UP PATROLS Associated Press (4) CHINA IS TELLING ITS TROOPS TO BE ON HIGH ALERT IN XINJIANG Voice of America, 6/25/97, STEPHANIE HO (5) GENERAL'S MESSAGE OF ETHNIC HARMONY South China Morning Post, 6/25/97 (6) HUNDREDS REPORTEDLY DENOUNCED TO POLICE IN XINJIANG Agence France-Presse, 6/28/97 Associated Press, 6/26/97 (8) 590,000 HELD IN CRACKDOWN ASSOCIATED PRESS, 6/25/97 (9) JAILED ACTIVISTS MOVED 'TO AVOID INSTABILITY' South China Morning Post, 6/26/97 (10) EASTERN TURKISTANIS, TIBETANS AND MONGOLIANS JOINED IN A RALLY BEFORE THE UNITED NATION Eastern Turkistan National Freedom Center, 6/15/97 By Anwar Yusuf (11) EARTHQUAKE HITS XINJIANG REUTER, 6/25/97 ) (12 ) CHINESE 'FEDERALIST' CALLS FOR HONG KONG INDEPENDENCE (13) ONE-CHILD RESISTANCE INCREASES Agence France-Presse, 6/20/97 *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (1) ARBITRARY ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS OF THE UYGHURS DURING
HONG KONG RETURN CEREMONIES *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (2) SHENZHEN ON ETHNIC TERROR ATTACK ALERT Agence France-Presse, 6/28/97 Xinjiang natives living in Shenzhen have been placed under close police surveillance amid fears of possible unrest during the handover period. The "supervise and monitor" orders, from the Ministries of State Security and Public Security, were issued amid fears Xinjiang people could "collaborate with outside forces" to launch terrorist attacks in support of their campaign for a separate state, media reports said. Police and security guards were instructed to keep a close watch for suspicious-looking Muslim or Uygur ethnic minorities in the city. Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, was rocked by a series of bombs in February and clashes between Uygur separatists and security forces. Shenzhen authorities had already imposed tight security on the city as President Jiang Zemin and Premier Li Peng are expected to spend a night in Shenzhen before heading to Hong Kong for Monday night's handover ceremonies. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (3) TROOPS IN CHINA STEP UP PATROLS Associated Press BEIJING (AP) -- China's defense minister has ordered soldiers to increase drills and patrols in a region of northwestern China shaken by separatist violence, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Defense Minister Chi Haotian, who inspected the region last weekend, said soldiers should remain on high alert, Xinhua reported late Tuesday. Authorities have stepped up efforts nationwide to forestall any trouble that might disrupt Hong Kong's return to China on Tuesday. Xinjiang, in the northwest, is of particular concern because Uighurs, the Muslim ethnic majority, have grown increasingly angry about living under Chinese rule. At least 10 people died and 140 were injured in February riots in the northwestern city of Yining. Bus bombs in Urumqi Feb. 25 killed nine passengers and injured 58, according to official reports. The region's Communist leaders have urged a crackdown on separatists and stronger control over religious affairs. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (4) CHINA IS TELLING ITS TROOPS TO BE ON HIGH ALERT IN XINJIANG Voice of America, 6/25/97, STEPHANIE HO INTRO: China is telling its troops to be on high alert in the far northwestern province of Xinjiang -- amidst heavy security in Beijing as the Hong Kong handover draws nearer. as v-o-a's Stephanie Ho reports, Xinjiang is on China's border, and has experienced periodic separatist unrest among its Muslim Uigher minority. TEXT: The main communist party newspaper, the People's Daily, quoted Chinese defense minister Chi Haotian as saying soldiers in Xinjiang must increase their patrols and drills to ensure the safety and stability of the region. He says Xinjiang is a large area with a long border and soldiers there must maintain a high state of alert. The newspaper said the chinese defense minister made his comments during a recent visit to the northwestern region. China's rulers are taking steps to ensure that nothing taints the return of Hong Kong on July first. As a result, Chinese authorities have boosted security and police patrols in the run-up to what Beijing is calling one of the most important events in Chinese history. In late February, homemade bus bombs in the Xinjiang regional capital of Urumqi killed at least nine people. The bomb attack coincided with funeral rites in Beijing for late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (5) GENERAL'S MESSAGE OF ETHNIC HARMONY South China Morning Post, 6/25/97 IVAN TANG Defence Minister General Chi Haotian urged the Army in Xinjiang to work harder on building the region's security and ethnic harmony. General Chi, also vice-chairman of the party's Central Military Commission, stopped off in Xinjiang on Saturday for three days after he won support from neighbouring Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to crack down on ethnic Uygurs. It was the second visit to Xinjiang by a senior Chinese leader in three months. National People's Congress Chairman Qiao Shi made an unscheduled stopover in April. During his visit, General Chi inspected the region's military facilities and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, an influential paramilitary body, Xinhua (the New China News Agency) reported. General Chi said Xinjiang's military forces should step up border patrols. "You should give our future generations a peaceful, stable and safe border," General Chi reportedly said. He also urged the Army to implement the party's ethnic harmony policies and build a friendship with ethnic minorities. "You should build the image of a mighty and civilised army through your strict discipline and good behaviour." General Chi's visits to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan indicated Beijing was still worried about the stability of Xinjiang after riots in February by Uygurs who form the region's majority. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (6) HUNDREDS REPORTEDLY DENOUNCED TO POLICE IN XINJIANG Agence France-Presse, 6/28/97 BEIJING (June 28, 1997 02:38 a.m. EDT) - Hundreds of people in the troubled northwest region of Xinjiang have been turned in to the authorities as Chinese security forces clamp down on Moslem separatist unrest, newspapers reported Saturday. "There have been more than 1,000 denounciations recorded recently from just the villages of Urumqi, Kotan and Aksou," a public security officials said in the Xinjiang Daily. "Some people have even handed over the names of family members implicated in criminal acts" after attending meetings to inflame the population with ideas of "separatism" and "terrorism," he added. Some of the so-called terrorists have said they wanted to "atone for their crimes" and have handed over information allowing the authorities to smash "organisations and illegal groups." "Because of the services given, the security authorities have treated (the repentants) with indulgence and have taken measures to ensure they are protected," the Xinjiang Daily added. Last week authorities seized 11 tonnes of explosives in the region which has been rocked by a series of attacks and clashes between ethnic Chinese and Moslem-majority Uighurs. The unrest left 10 people dead, according to official figures, and more than 100 according to separatists. The region borders on some of the states of the former Soviet Union. Police sweeps have focused on five cities, including the regional capital Urumqi, Kashgar, Aksou, Kotan and Yining, the paper added. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (7) CHINA COUNTERS MUSLIM ARREST Associated Press, 6/26/97 BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese authorities have torn down mosques and canceled religious classes to counter unrest among Muslims in the northwestern province of Xinjiang. At least 40 people have been arrested in the crackdown in the province around the Xinjiang city of Yining, where Feb. 5 riots killed at least 10 people and injured 140, according to the state-run newspaper Xinjiang Daily. Authorities have stepped up efforts nationwide to forestall any trouble that might disrupt Hong Kong's return Tuesday to China. Of particular concern are border regions like Xinjiang and Tibet. In Xinjiang, the Muslim ethnic majority has grown increasingly angry over Chinese rule and an influx of Chinese settlers. Like other religious believers, Muslims are generally allowed to practice their faith, within limits proscribed by the ruling Communist Party. But authorities have tightened control over unauthorized religious activities after protests and bombings in the spring. They shut down 133 mosques and closed 105 clandestine classes. Teachers found to be promoting Muslim separatism were fired and about 500 of their students were dismissed, the newspaper said in a June 21 report seen today in Beijing. The report said the local Communist Party had recruited hundreds of new officials, militiamen and police to impose order and help with poverty relief. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (8) 590,000 HELD IN CRACKDOWN ASSOCIATED PRESS, 6/25/97 Police arrested more than 590,000 suspects and seized almost 1.2 million firearms in a three-month anti-crime drive this spring. Authorities have intensified a campaign to curb rising violent crime to forestall trouble ahead of Hong Kong's handover, the Legal Daily said. Police said they had solved 44,000 crimes. Of the 590,000 people held, 23,000 were prison escapees and 131 belonged to criminal syndicates. The crackdown also resulted in the closing of 14,000 illegal dance halls, saunas, massage parlours and other establishments involved in the sex trade. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (9) JAILED ACTIVISTS MOVED 'TO AVOID INSTABILITY' South China Morning Post, 6/26/97 STAFF REPORTERS Beijing has moved dozens of "troublemakers" jailed in Xinjiang and Tibet to the capital in an apparent attempt to prevent instability during the handover period. Those transferred included alleged ringleaders in ethnic disturbances in the two autonomous regions since the beginning of the year, security sources said yesterday. They also contained "anti-government elements" about to stand trial but who have not been convicted. "This extraordinary measure is a warning to separatists who want to take advantage of July 1 to stir up trouble," a source said. "Some splittists had earlier thought security in Tibet and Xinjiang would become lax when the top leaders went to Hong Kong." Beijing had asked troops and People's Armed Police units in the two trouble spots to be on alert until mid-July, the source added. At the same time, ideological and political education classes will be stepped up in all provinces and districts with concentrations of ethnic minorities. The leadership has also decided courts should postpone politically sensitive hearings. Such cases include those involving dissidents as well as anti-government activities. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (10) EASTERN TURKISTANIS, TIBETANS AND MONGOLIANS JOINED IN A RALLY BEFORE THE UNITED NATION Eastern Turkistan National Freedom Center, 6/15/97 By Anwar Yusuf I am pleased to report that Eastern Turkistanis, Tibetans and Mongolians joined in a rally before the United Nations on June 14 to protest China's occupation of our homelands. Taiwanese also participated in the demonstration. The rally was the end of the three month long march led by the Dalai Lama's brother to draw attention to the repression of Tibetans, Eastern Turkistanis and Mongolians. The march began in Toronto and ended in New York before the U.N. At the U.N. rally. a representative of each occupied nation cut one star from the Chinese flag to symbolically send the message that we do not belong inside China. I was honored to be asked to speak and cut out one of these stars to represent Eastern Turkistan. We brought the stars representing each of our nations to the U.N. headquarters. We also tried to present the flag -- minus the smaller stars -- to China's embassy in New York, but naturally no one answered the door.We did leave the flag, went away, and then quickly returned. The flag had been taken in by the Chinese. Those of us representing our nations confirmed the value of working together against the Chinese authorities. Tibetans, Mongolians, Taiwanese and Eastern Turkistanis made clear publicly and privately that we will continue to support each other in this struggle for independence. Please, visit (www. Rangzen. Com) in internet for detailed information about the event. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (11) EARTHQUAKE HITS XINJIANG REUTER, 6/25/97 An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale rocked a county in the northwestern autonomous region of Xinjiang yesterday. There were no reports of damage or casualties from the tremor, which hit Jiashi county, Xinhua (the New China News Agency) said. The tremor was one of a series of aftershocks that have shaken Jiashi in western Xinjiang since January. Jiashi, bordering on Russia, has suffered several major jolts this year. More than 50 people were killed in January when six earthquakes each measuring at least six Richter scale struck. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (12) CHINESE 'FEDERALIST' CALLS FOR HONG KONG INDEPENDENCE HONG KONG - A self-proclaimed champion of self-rule for Chinese provinces and territories called here Friday for independence for Hong Kong just 11 days before the British colony reverts to Chinese rule. Jose Rodrigues, an ethnic Chinese from Macau, distributed "sensitive" material to the secretariat of the soon-to-be-abolished Legislative Council here asking members to carefully study his plan to break up China. Rodrigues, a freelance translator, said he was a founding member of the 200-strong "Federalist Alliance of China" and a representative of a republican party of Hong Kong which has gone underground, "Why can't Hong Kong achieve independence?" he said, citing the example of Singaporean patriarch Lee Kuan Yew, who led the largely ethnic Chinese island to independence from Malaysia in 1965. Hong Kong police questioned Rodrigues and checked his identity before letting him go. Rodrigues, 38, wearing a peach T-shirt and jeans, said pro-democracy forces in Hong Kong were too conservative and had no courage to overthrow the People's Republic of China. "Politics should be creative, just like composing a song. We support the independence movement in Xinjiang and Tibet," he said. He also called for the setting up of a republic in Guangdong, the southern Chinese province bordering Hong Kong. The party's final goal is to let parts of China become self-governing and decide whether to join a Confederation of China, he said. "The idea of unifying the whole Chinese race is very outdated. Why cannot we in China have several independent states?" he asked. He added that his group would soon distribute its propaganda material secretly in Guangdong. Rodrigues handed out a statement signed by the "Committee for the Independence of Hong Kong" saying while its members no longer wanted to become colonial citizens, "we want to be the real owner of Hong Kong." "We're going to found the Republic of Hong Kong, and collaborate in building the Confederation of China," it said. "Viva Hong Kong people! Viva Federalist of China!" *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (13) ONE-CHILD RESISTANCE INCREASES Agence France-Presse, 6/20/97 China may have as many as 100 million people who officially do not exist, according to the French author of a book on population on the mainland. Resistance to Beijing's official policy of one child for every family, instituted in 1988 in an attempt to slow population growth, is increasing, writes Yves Blayo, author of Demographic Politics in China. Parents and officials, particularly in rural areas, conspire to ignore the rule and are under-registering births by up to 60 per cent in some areas, Blayo said. China's population stands at roughly 1.2 billion, according to 1995 figures - a level that has exceeded projections for the end of the century.
Abdulrakhim Aitbayev (rakhim@lochbrandy.mines.edu) WUNN newsletter index*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= 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. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= EASTERN TURKISTAN INFORMATION CENTER |