| An electronic newsletter
Produced by the Eastern Turkistan Information Center No: 53 26 August 1997 In this issue (1) XINJIANG LEADERS STRESS CONTINUED CRACKDOWN ON SEPARATISM Urumqi Xinjiang Ribao 6 Aug 97 p 1 (2) OFFICIAL DECRIES 'NEGATIVE' ISLAMIC PRACTICES Urumqi Xinjiang Television Network 1330 GMT 16 Aug 97 (3) EDITORIAL VIEWS CHINA'S 'DISTURBING' BORDER FENCING Islamabad The Muslim 13 Aug 97 p 6 (4) SPOKESMAN CONFIRMS NEW BARRIERS SET UP ON PAKISTAN BORDER Hong Kong AFP, 0925 GMT 11 Aug 97 (5) XINJIANG MILITARY DISTRICT INTENSIFIES TRAINING Urumqi Xinjiang Ribao 28 Jul 97 p 1 (6) XINJIANG AIR UNIT CONDUCTS LIVE-FIRE EXERCISE Urumqi Xinjiang Ribao 28 Jul 97 p 2 (7) XINJIANG'S TURPAN CITY TO PROMOTE TOURISM Beijing Xinhua 0034 GMT 8 Aug 97 (8) XINJIANG ACTIVISTS PLANNED HK HANDOVER ATTACKS Hong Kong Hongkong Standard 4 Aug 97 p 1 *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (1) XINJIANG LEADERS STRESS CONTINUED CRACKDOWN ON SEPARATISM Urumqi, Xinjiang Ribao 6 Aug 97 p 1 A four-day regional conference of directors of public security sections and bureaus ended in Urumqi on 5 August. The conferees conscientiously summed up achievements and experiences of the intensive campaign to rectify public order in the previous stage, and analyzed from the strategic height the current situation in public security, maintaining that the safeguarding of Xinjiang's stability is a long-term task and systems engineering project; and that it is imperative to firmly grasp the initiative in the anti-separatist struggle and to carry out the intensive rectification campaign in a penetrating, sustained way in order to ensure long-term order and stability in Xinjiang. Regional party and government leaders Wang Lequan, Abdulahat Abdurixit, and Li Fengzi attended and spoke at the conference. At the conference, the guidelines of the national criminal investigation work conference and the work conference of public security police substations were transmitted; and arrangements for the intensive rectification campaign in the next stage were made. Fully affirming the public security department's significant contributions to maintaining social stability in Xinjiang in the previous stage, Wang Lequan said in his speech: Public security police officers and men have displayed the spirit of defying neither hardship nor death in fighting successive battles, thereby dealing a telling blow at the national separatists and illegal religious activities and ensuring social stability and good public order during the period around Hong Kong's reversion. Wang Lequan emphasized: Despite the remarkable achievements scored by the public security department in the struggle against the enemy, we must be soberly aware that our struggle against national separatism and illegal religious activities requires long-term efforts which must not be slackened even for a brief moment. We must conscientiously analyze the current situation in our struggle against the enemy, further educate and mobilize the masses, and strive to combine professional personnel with the masses in order to isolate and strike at the enemy to the maximum, consolidate the results of the previous stage, and win still greater achievements. In conclusion, he urged public security organs at all levels to continue the "strike-hard" campaign, focusingattention on "criminal gangs, major cases, and arrests of criminals on the run"; and to step up the campaign by organizing effective operations and whipping up a new upsurge in the crackdown. Meanwhile, he added, a good job in the grass-roots and basic work must be done to create a good public security environment for the smooth convening of the 15th CPC National Congress. In his speech, regional chairman Abdulahat Abdurixit spoke highly of achievements by public security police officers and men in maintaining social stability. He said: Reform of both criminal investigation work and public security substations must be centered around the task of maintaining social stability in Xinjiang, and be carried out in a realistic, down-to-earth, effective way. Abdulahat Abdurixit called on public security organs at all levels to step up the construction of small security and civility units, and improve crime prevention through security work so as to lay a solid foundation for fighting crimes.A total of 150 directors of public security sections and bureaus from all prefectures, cities, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps throughout the region attended the conference. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (2) OFFICIAL DECRIES 'NEGATIVE' ISLAMIC PRACTICES Urumqi Xinjiang Television Network 1330 GMT 16 Aug 97 Speaking at the second standing committee meeting of the fifth committee of the Xinjiang Regional Islamic Association on 14 August, regional vice chairman Yusufu Aisha discussed ways for improving the work of Islamic associations. [video opens with a long-shot of an auditorium with about 200 people, cutting to show a close shot of Yusufu, dressed in a western business suit and tie, and speaking from a prepared script in the middle of the rostrum] He said: Islamic associations at all levels should continue to organize people from the religious circles to diligently study and implement the central authorities' important instruction on maintaining social stability; and should further increase the awareness of waging a resolute struggle against national separatists, illegal religious activities, religious fanatics. He said: To seize the religious authority, national separatists and religious fanatics who instigated disputes between religious sects, created chaos inside the religious circles, and even resorted to violent, terrorist means to persecute patriotic religious personalities. Their brutal behavior will be condemned and cracked down in any country. Each and every friend of ours in the religious circles should recognize that only the CPC faithfully represents the interests of the people of all ethnic groups and seeks the happiness of the people of all ethnic groups; only the party and government truly protect the normal religious activities of our religious circles and religious believers; and only by supporting the socialist system and the party's leadership can all of us live a peaceful and tranquil life and carry out normal, guaranteed religious activities. On the major issue of rights and wrongs, we must keep our heads cool and always safeguard the dignity of laws, the people's interests, the national unity, and the motherland's unification, regarding the safeguarding as the criterion for differentiating rights from wrongs. We must also take a clear-cut stance in opposing national separatists and illegal religious activities, and must coordinate with the party and the government in cracking down on religious fanatics. He said: Islamic associations at all levels should actively guide religion to accommodate itself to the socialist society, and contribute more to the building of two civilizations in Xinjiang. Accommodating religion to the socialist society is an important task of the socialist modernization drive, as well as the intrinsic demand of the existence and advancement of religion itself. Since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Committee was convened, especially in recent years, Islamic associations at all levels in Xinjiang have organized religious personalities in studying the theory on accommodating religion to the socialist society; they have carried out tremendous concrete work and achieved some results. Meanwhile, however, we must realize the existence of problems of current-stage Islam in Xinjiang. For example, religious interference in the administration, the judicial system, education, and family planning have occurred from time to time. Unlawful construction of Islamic mosques and [words indistinct] without approval has been carried out despite repeated bans. The contents of scripture classes conducted in some religious venues are contrary to the party's policy and government laws. Some religious doctrines, systems, traditions, and ideas are incompatible with the current Chinese laws and statues; and backward concepts and practices have given some people with ulterior motives a handle against our religious organizations and personalities. Some illegal religious activities have even been directly exploited by the enemy to attack the party and government and the socialist system, thus objectively serving the enemy. Resolute efforts must be made to correct all these negative phenomena; and to stop outdated customs and habits, which increase the burden on religious believers, which impede the production and everyday life and harms the mental state of the masses of people, and which are incompatible with the socialist society. We must change old customs and habits, and insist on simple weddings and funerals. We must continue the emulation campaign on the double "five goods," and vigorously encourage public welfare undertakings. We must adhere to the positive aspects of religious doctrines, which are conducive to the promotion of social mores, of prosperity through had work, and of the study of science; striving to make still greater contributions to the building of two civilizations in Xinjiang. [as the announcer reads Yusufu's speech, camera pans two rows of unidentified officials seated on the rostrum, as well as the predominantly ethnic audience dressed in religious robes and caps] He said: In their future work, Islamic associations at all levels should regard education in the legal system as an important task and a major component of study by religious personalities, consciously using laws to regulate their behavior and conducting religious affairs according to the law. We should improve the quality of mosque management committees, further perfect rules and regulations on managing mosques, and bring into full play the role of democratic management committees in democratic management, thereby exercising mutual supervision to promote each other and conducting religious activities according to the law. Meanwhile, Islamic associations at all levels should also persist in making politics the primary criterion, and do a conscientious job in training young, patriotic religious administrators. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (3) EDITORIAL VIEWS CHINA'S 'DISTURBING' BORDER FENCING Islamabad The Muslim 13 Aug 97 p 6 China Monday confirmed it had erected new barriers along its border with Pakistan but condemned reports in Islamabad that the move reflected any hostility or cooling off the border ties. While a foreign ministry spokesman has said, "for the purpose of normal and orderly control of the border, the Chinese side has built on its side of the Khunjerab Pass some new port facilities including wire fences, the explanation is both belated and unsatisfying. To begin with, the story of the fencing of the border had been broken in these columns on Sunday with the information that neither the Foreign Office nor the ISI had been in a position to confirm or deny the Chinese move. It boggles the mind that our Foreign Office should be in such crass ignorance of blatantly obvious developments on the Chinese side of the border. Specially when a large portion of the People's Liberation Army is engaged in the fencing operations all along the 750 mile border with China. Foreign Office ignorance in the matter is also a strong indication that Pakistan was not even consulted in the matter. That matters should have come to such a pass between two very friendly allies and staunch supporters of each other, is in itself of grave concern. In its report on Sunday, this paper opined that China had decided to fortify its border to check crossborder support for Islamic militants within its northwestern region of Xinjiang. Beijing is locked in a struggle against separatism in the Muslim dominated region. The fencing operation could forever change the complexion of relations between China and Pakistan, this paper has feared. What is of more immediate import is that the fencing follows on the heels of an impending mending of fences between China and Russia. Taken further, this would also mean infinite improvement of relations between China and India. Coupled with China's advice to both Pakistan and India to settle the Kashmir issue amicably, the repercussions could be much more far reaching than meets the eye. Since India has only recently declared that Kashmir is its inseparable part and that no compromise on that score was imaginable, any settlement would necessarily have to keep the Indian attitude in mind. From Pakistan's point of view, it would mean negation of a major part of its foreign policy. The Pakistan Foreign Office has confirmed that it is darkest under the lamp by failing to notice border fencing operations right on ist doorstep. Such ignorance is criminal. Either that or there is something drastically wrong somewhere in our relations with China about which the Foreign Office does not wish to take the people into confidence. Surely it is a sure indication that our people have slipped up along the line in such a manner as to make a trusted and staunch ally change its perception of relations with us so rapidly. The usual FO rhetoric will not cover up anything in this instance. If China thinks Pakistan is not doing anything to prevent infiltration of Islamic fundamentalists into its Xinjiang region, steps should be taken now and every effort made to prevent relations with a proven ally deteriorating any further. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (4) SPOKESMAN CONFIRMS NEW BARRIERS SET UP ON PAKISTAN BORDER Hong Kong AFP 0925 GMT 11 Aug 97 Beijing, Aug 11 (AFP) - China on Monday confirmed it had erected new barriers along its border with Pakistan but condemned reports in Islamabad that the move reflected any hostility or cooling of border ties. "For the purpose of normal and orderly control of the border, the Chinese side has built on the Chinese side of the Khunjrab pass some new port facilities including wire fences," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. "This will help strengthen border control and facilitate the border trade between China and Pakistan" and enhance normal contacts between the two sides, he told AFP. On Sunday, the Islamabad daily The Muslim reported that thousands of Chinese troops were working around the clock to erect barbed-wire fences in and around the Khunjrab pass -- part of the ancient Silk Road trade route. It quoted "knowledgeable sources" as saying the barriers could be extended to cover the entire 750 kilometre (465 mile) border. The newspaper speculated that China decided to fortify the border to check cross-border support for Islamic fundamentalists within ist northwestern region of Xinjiang. Beijing is locked in a struggle against separatism in the Moslem-dominated region. "The move could forever change the complexion of the relations between erstwhile friend China and Pakistan," The Muslim said. The Foreign Ministry spokesman took issue with the report's angle, however, saying it "does not square with the facts." The two countries enjoy strong ties despite Islamabad's concern about harsh treatment of ethnic and religious unrest in Xinjiang. Pakistan President Farooq Ahmed Leghari visited Beijing in April, after his Chinese counterpart, Jiang Zemin, stopped in Islamabad last December. (5) XINJIANG MILITARY DISTRICT INTENSIFIES TRAINING Urumqi Xinjiang Ribao 28 Jul 97 p 1 Bearing in mind the People's Liberation Army's [PLA's] fundamental duty, the heroic Army units stationed in Xinjiang have demonstrated a great deal of enthusiasm in undergoing military training to enhance combat skills. Striving to fulfill Chairman Jiang Zemin's demand for "military competence," they have steadily expanded the scope of training and conspicuously improved the quality of training and the overall combat capability. In recent years, party committees of PLA units stationed in Xinjiang, guided by the principles of military strategy in the new era, have earnestly implemented a new generation of the Army's training program in the light of realities in border defense, and have carried out the training according to the program. In accordance with the concept of "laying the foundation, paying close attention to the implementation, and seeking development," troops all over the region have undergone rigorous basic training. Various specialized arms and services have raised the standard and quality of training for each individual to effectively use vehicles, artillery, and machinery. The Army units have concentrated efforts on raising the ability of cadres at various levels in organizing and conducting training. As a result, a large number of outstanding commanding personnel well versed in planning, organization, and management have emerged. Moreover, the units have taken the initiative to reform training by stepping up the study of operational and training methods. Results of a number of research projects have facilitated and strengthened the training of troops. Meanwhile, in the course of reforming the logistics support for training, efforts have been made to improve the facilities as well as their management, thereby conspicuously raising the efficiency of the logistics support for training. In recent years, nearly 100 training projects throughout the region have been commended by higher authorities while research results of some projects have been popularized throughout the PLA; and over 8,000 technical experts, pacesetters in training, and instructors "versatile in the four fields" have received awards. With the delivery of one batch after another of new and highly technical equipment to the frontier posts and barracks, the military district has promptly formulated a "three-year plan on studying military high technology," while all units have whipped up a new upsurge of study through intensive training sessions, lectures, and evaluations. Endeavoring to realize the objective of "fighting battles and training troops effectively," the military district has striven to enhance ist overall combat capability to win a local war under high-tech conditions. In recent years, the military district successfully conducted many major military exercises in the unfamiliar, complex terrain of the Gobi Desert, thereby raising the troops' combat capability in all fields, "moving, attacking, combining, lodging and meals, camouflaging, managing, repairing, and rescuing." A number of research projects on operational methods were verified in the course of actual combat and were transformed into combat capability. PLA officers and men stationed in Xinjiang are fulfilling the sacred duty of safeguarding the motherland with the concrete action of rigorous training for a crack force. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (6) XINJIANG AIR UNIT CONDUCTS LIVE-FIRE EXERCISE Urumqi Xinjiang Ribao 28 Jul 97 p 2 To keep abreast of the needs of modern high-tech combat operations, an air unit stationed in Xinjiang conducted the first live-fire bombing exercise in mid-July, with the target set in the vast desert. After fou days of flying "fierce battles," the unit successfully, smoothly and safely completed the live-fire bombing exercise, fulfilling the anticipated objective. In implementation of their important mission, members of the unit have been undergoing rigorous training of various difficult subjects for years. To ensure no error in the first live-fire bombing exercise, the unit drew on other units' experiences, paying particular attention to teaching pilots about tactical theory and to drawing up safetymeasures. Through hard and meticulous training on the ground and in the skies, all pilots obtained a thorough grasp of theory, methods and data; as well as familiarity with the special circumstances of deviations. As a result, during the live-fire bombing exercise, the pilots were able to load bombs smoothly and safely and to drop them precisely on the target; and all bombs exploded with a loud sound. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (7) XINJIANG'S TURPAN CITY TO PROMOTE TOURISM Beijing Xinhua 0034 GMT 8 Aug 97 Urumqi, August 8 (XINHUA) -- Turpan City, a unique natural and cultural beauty spot in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has made it a point to improve its infrastructures to become an outstanding tourist city in northwest China. Xie Tianxi, a local official in charge of tourism, noted that Turpan has made tourism a pillar industry and will invest huge funds in this sector. He said that the central and regional governments have allocated 50 million yuan from their tight budget and 180 million yuan in interest-deducted loans to help Turpan develop its tourism industry. According to the official, Turpan is rich in tourist resources, with 170 historical and scenic sites and mouth-watering grapes of over 300 varieties. The local tourism industry has been developing rapidly in recent years. More than 300,000 overseas tourists visit Turpan annually, as against merely 79 in 1978, the year China launched its reform and opening-up drive. But tourism still lingers at a low level in the city, owing to ist backward traffic condition and lack of tourist facilities, said Xie. According to another local official Yu Changsong, Turpan plans to invest 100 million yuan in five years to build or renovate 15 urban roads. Moreover, the city is also expected to receive a 30 million yuan investment from a Hong Kong company to rebuild a star-rank hotel and an outdoor swimming-pool. On the other hand, this year, the local government has invested 200,000 yuan in developing tourism-related goods, mainly handicrafts and artistic articles with ethnic characteristics. The construction of the country's first grape museum is now under way. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (8) XINJIANG ACTIVISTS PLANNED HK HANDOVER ATTACKS Hong Kong Hongkong Standard 4 Aug 97 p 1 Police crushed a Xinjiang separatist group planning to unleash a wave of terror during the Hong Kong handover, a provincial official said on Sunday. He said at least two terrorists and one police officer were killed in the operation. The official claimed the terrorists had planned attacks in the lead-up to the reversion of Hong Kong's sovereignty. The operation coincided with President Jiang Zemin's call for unity and stability to mark the handover. The People's Liberation Army, paramilitary and police forces -- especially those stationed in major cities -- stepped up their vigilance during the pre-handover period to ensure a smooth transition. Without specifying the exact date or location, the Xinjiang official said police discovered a "bandit den" at the end of June. The official however declined to detail the number of arrests orthe identity of the suspects. Separatist groups were said to have planned bomb attacks in major Chinese cities including Beijing during the handover period in an effort to catch international attention from the thousands of foreign journalists in Hong Kong. The official said that Xinjiang had had no separatist activity since 1 July. "Xinjiang province is now more stable as these criminal activists have been greatly reduced in number since Hong Kong's handover on 1 July," the official said. However, the 28 July issue of the official Xinjiang Daily reported that Muslim separatists killed a police officer in a bomb blast. Kasemu Nasser, a police officer in the village of Yingmaili, was killed in an explosion that authorities connected to Muslim separatists, the newspaper said. Amudun Niyaz, chairman of the Xinjiang Communist Party Standing Committee, has promised to wipe out Muslim secessionists. [Description of Source: Hong Kong Hongkong Standard in English--one of Hong Kong's two major independent English-language papers] Prepared by: Bill Mitchell ( Turpan@ix.netcom.com ).*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= 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 |