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Produced by the Eastern Turkistan Information Center No: 80 20 May 1998 (1) CHINESE DOCTORS POISONED 150 CHILDREN 15 May 1998, Eastern Turkistan Information Center A team of Chinese doctors poisoned 150 children in the Kipekyuzi village of Ghulje (Yinin).(2) ETIC NEWS BRIEFS The Chinese government urgently transferred 30,000 elite armed police troops from Jilin province to Eastern Turkistan. A group of armed men attacked an arms depot of Bingtuanand stole a large number of guns and ammunition. On May 3, a bomb exploded in one of the buildings of Bingtuan # 29 located near the city of Korla killing 41 Chinese soldiers and wounding many others.(3) KYRGYZ PRESIDENT OVERSEES BATTLE WITH "EXTREMISTS" 14 May 1998, RFE/RL NEWSLINE Askar Akayev is personally supervising the battle against religious extremism.(4) KYRGYZ RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS FORM COMMITTEE TO PROTECT ISLAM 15 May 1998, RFE/RL NEWSLINE A number of religious organizations have established a committee in Bishkek to counter anti-Islamic measures by the Kyrgyz leadership.(5) EU MOVES ON TIBET, ORGANS, 'HURT TIES' 20 May 1998, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Beijing yesterday blasted European Parliament resolutions on Tibet and alleged mainland organ trafficking as "placing a regrettable obstacle" in the path to better Sino-European relations.(6) CHINA/BEATING 19 May 1998, Voice of America, by ROGER WILKISON A Canadian television crew using a hidden camera has captured dramatic footage of suspects being beaten by Chinese police at a Shanghai police station. V-O-A correspondent Roger Wilkison reports the footage disproves the Chinese authorities' contention that they protect prisoners' rights.*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (1) CHINESE DOCTORS POISONED 150 CHILDREN 15 May 1998, Eastern Turkistan Information Center [ETIC, 5/15/98] On May 8, a team of Chinese doctors poisoned 150 children in the Kipekyuzi village of Ghulje (Yinin). The team arrived to the village to vaccinate the children. But, instead of a vaccine, local elementary school students received shots with a poison. The poisoned children are reported to be in serious conditions. Some of the parents immediately took their poisoned kids to the hospitals in Urumchi and Beijing seeking medical help. Shortly after, the same team of doctors arrived to the elementary school # 9 of the city of Ghulje to vaccinate the school children. The Chinese doctors could not present any documents when the school principal, aware of the recent events in the Kipekyuzi village, had asked for directive papers from the Ministry of Health. The principal did not allow the vaccination without a directive from the Ministry of Health, and drove the doctors out of the school. The events with the vaccination seriously alarmed local Uyghurs. The local government authorities informed the population that the doctors were indeed sent by a directive of the Ministry of Health, but, unfortunately, the separatist elements stole the vaccine and substituted it with a poison. [Tomurchoka] (2) ETIC NEWS BRIEFS [ETIC, 5/17/98] The May issue of "Jing Ming" magazine published in Hong Kong reported that the Chinese government urgently transferred 30,000 elite armed police troops from Jilin province to Eastern Turkistan. The troops transfer operation was finished by April 11. [Kiyan] [ETIC, 5/5/98] On April 27, a group of armed men attacked an arms depot of Bingtuan, paramilitary construction corps, in the village of Chibku of Guychung county. The attackers stole a large number of guns and ammunition. On May 3, a bomb exploded in one of the buildings of Bingtuan # 29 located near the city of Korla killing 41 Chinese soldiers and wounding many others. [Bughda] (3) KYRGYZ PRESIDENT OVERSEES BATTLE WITH "EXTREMISTS" 14 May 1998, RFE/RL NEWSLINE Presidential spokesman Kanybek Imanaliyev told a press briefing on 13 May that Askar Akayev is personally supervising the battle against religious extremism, ITAR- TASS reported. Imanaliyev said the president is concerned about the "appearance of Wahhabi missionaries." Kyrgyzstan, like neighboring Uzbekistan, has ordered all mosques to be registered. And according to Reuters, it will "keep track of who preaches there, where they are from. If they do not meet our standards they must account for themselves." However, Emil Kaptagaev, the chairman of the government Committee on Religious Affairs, told journalists his committee has found no evidence of Wahhabi activity in Kyrgyzstan. But Adylbek Kadyrbekov, the chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security, was also at the briefing and contradicted Kaptagaev's statement. BP (4) KYRGYZ RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS FORM COMMITTEE TO PROTECT ISLAM 15 May 1998, RFE/RL NEWSLINE A number of religious organizations have established a committee in Bishkek to counter anti-Islamic measures by the Kyrgyz leadership, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau reported on 14 May. Human Rights Movement of Kyrgyzstan Chairman Tursunbek Akunov said that the Kyrgyz government is cracking down on religious organizations under the pretext of combatting Wahhabism, which, he claimed, does not pose a threat in Kyrgyzstan. Also on 14 May, Russian presidential spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembskii invited Kyrgyzstan to join the tripartite alliance created by Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan earlier this month to combat religious extremism, ITAR-TASS reported. LF (5) EU MOVES ON TIBET, ORGANS, 'HURT TIES' 20 May 1998, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Beijing yesterday blasted European Parliament resolutions on Tibet and alleged mainland organ trafficking as "placing a regrettable obstacle" in the path to better Sino-European relations. The official China Daily described the two resolutions, adopted last Thursday, as "attacking China". "They maliciously slander China as trafficking in organs of condemned prisoners and brazenly interfere in China's internal affairs by suggesting the naming of a European Union special representative for Tibet and urging the United Nations to appoint a special rapporteur for Tibet," the paper said. "The accusation of the sale of human organs is sheer fabrication. It is obvious that this slandering is spread on purpose by some people who bear ill feelings towards China." Regarding the Tibet resolution, it said: "China will not tolerate any action that intends to infringe upon China's sovereignty." It said there had been significant progress in Sino-European ties this year, citing vows of a long-term partnership by premier Zhu Rongji and EU leaders at a London summit in April. "We hope the EU will cherish the hard-earned improvements in Sino-EU relations and stop making unwise moves that may endanger bilateral ties," the paper said. Beijing blasted the United States decision last year to appoint its own co-ordinator for Tibet as gross interference in the mainland's internal affairs. (6) CHINA/BEATING 19 May 1998, Voice of America, by ROGER WILKISON INTRO: A CANADIAN TELEVISION CREW USING A HIDDEN CAMERA HAS CAPTURED DRAMATIC FOOTAGE OF SUSPECTS BEING BEATEN BY CHINESE POLICE AT A SHANGHAI POLICE STATION. V-O-A CORRESPONDENT ROGER WILKISON REPORTS THE FOOTAGE DISPROVES THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES' CONTENTION THAT THEY PROTECT PRISONERS' RIGHTS. TEXT: A CREW FROM CANADA'S C-T-V NETWORK VIDEOTAPED THE GOINGS-ON AT A SECOND-FLOOR POLICE INTERVIEW ROOM IN SHANGHAI'S LU WAN DISTRICT ON SEPARATE OCCASIONS BETWEEN OCTOBER (OF 1997) AND APRIL (OF THIS YEAR). THE FOOTAGE SHOWS CITIZENS WITH THEIR BACKS TO THE CAMERA, HANDCUFFED TO A WINDOW GRATE, BEING PUNCHED AND SLAPPED DURING INTERROGATIONS. C-T-V'S HIDDEN CAMERA SHOT THE FOOTAGE FROM A VANTAGE POINT DIRECTLY ACROSS AN ALLEY FROM THE WINDOW WHERE SUSPECTS WERE HANDCUFFED. ON ONE OCCASION, A POLICEMAN IS SEEN YELLING AT A HANDCUFFED SUSPECT AS HE SLAPS HIM IN THE FACE. /// ACT OF POLICEMAN YELLING AND SLAPPING SUSPECT /// ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE MICROPHONE PICKS UP A POLICEMAN DEMANDING IF A BEATEN AND HANDCUFFED SUSPECT IS READY TO TALK. /// ACT OF POLICEMAN SHOUTING IN CHINESE "WILL YOU TALK?" /// ON ANOTHER OCCASION, POLICE ARE SEEN REMOVING HANDCUFFS FROM A MAN WHO HAS BEEN BEATEN WHILE TIED TO THE WINDOW GRATE. ASKED LAST MONTH WHETHER CHINESE POLICE ROUTINELY BEAT SUSPECTS UNDER DETENTION, FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN ZHU BANGZAO SAID THROUGH AN INTERPRETER THAT SUCH PRACTICES ARE EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN BY LAW. /// INTERPRETER ACT /// I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THERE IS A LAW OF PRISONS OF THE P-R-C. AND WE PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF PRISONERS ACCORDING TO THIS LAW. AND THIS LAW PROVIDES THAT, IF ANY POLICE PEOPLE OR JUDICIAL OFFICERS VIOLATE THE REGULATIONS, THEY WOULD FACE PUNISHMENT AND PENALTIES. /// END ACT /// THE U-S STATE DEPARTMENT, IN ITS ANNUAL REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITIONS IN CHINA, HAS REPEATEDLY CRITICIZED CHINESE AUTHORITIES FOR ARBITRARY DETENTION, FORCED CONFESSION, TORTURE AND MISTREATMENT OF PRISONERS. CHINA HAS DISMISSED SUCH CHARGES AS GROUNDLESS. SOPHIA WOODMAN, WHO HEADS THE HONG KONG OFFICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA, SAYS CHINESE LAW DOES OUTLAW BEATINGS UNDER DETENTION, BUT SUCH LAWS ARE RARELY ENFORCED. /// WOODMAN ACT /// FROM OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN DETENTION CENTERS AND POLICE STATIONS, BEATINGS ARE A VERY ROUTINE PART OF THE SITUATION IN MANY OF THOSE CENTERS. EVIDENCE OBTAINED THROUGH ILLEGAL MEANS, INCLUDING THROUGH TORTURE, CONTINUES TO BE ADMISSIBLE AT TRIAL IN CHINA. SO THE POLICE CONTINUE TO HAVE A STRONG INCENTIVE TO USE ANY MEANS NECESSARY TO GET THE INFORMATION THEY WANT. /// END ACT /// MS. WOODMAN SAYS ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH CHINESE DETENTION CENTERS IS THAT LAWYERS ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO SEE DETAINEES IN THE PRESENCE OF POLICE OFFICERS, MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR DETAINEES TO REPORT ANY KIND OF ABUSE. (SIGNED )Prepared by: Abdulrakhim Aitbayev (rakhim@lochbrandy.mines.edu) *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= 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 |