WWW--ETIC/The World Uyghur Network News/ 30 November

While still the world's heaviest user of capital punishment, China has significantly reduced executions, in part due to a new criminal code, human rights monitors said yesterday. Amnesty International estimates that last year China executed about 3,000 people - an execution rate of eight a day. Although higher than capital punishment rates anywhere else in the world, the toll is 31 per cent down from 1996's 4,367 executions. The figure mirrors comments that a senior Supreme People's Court judge made to a visiting US businessman, John Kamm, who has lobbied Beijing on behalf of political prisoners for eight years, said yesterday that the judge had told him of a "big drop" in executions. Despite moves to sign UN treaties and adopt more internationally accepted legal standards, the judicial system is mired in secrecy. Defendants' access to lawyers is often limited and appeals are largely a sham. Political critics seen to challenge the authority of the Communist Party are still harassed and jailed. Mr Kamm said the judge had cited a new criminal code and sentencing guidelines as the prime reasons for the decline in executions. The code, which went into effect on October 1 last year, narrowed the death penalty for theft, which accounts for nearly one-third of all criminal cases. Only bank robbery and the theft of cultural relics are now punishable by death. But the new sentencing guidelines and the total number of executions were still considered state secrets. "We need more openness on the part of Chinese officials," said Catherine Baver, a China specialist for Amnesty International. "What have they got to hide?" Ms Baver said Amnesty estimated there had been 3,000 executions last year, but that the figure probably represented "only a fraction" of the actual total. She said the official media reports on which Amnesty had based ist estimate often did not provide accurate figures on executions.

(2) NORTHWEST CHINESE COUNTY HIT BY FRESH QUAKE 3 Septemebr 1998, Agence France-Presse BEIJING,

Sept 3 (AFP)

Quake-hit Jiashi county in northwest China was shaken by a further temblor Thursday measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, official media reported. The earthquake, with its epicenter 39.6 degrees north latitude and 77.3 degrees east longitude, hit the frequently-rocked county at 2.43 p.m. (0643 GMT), Xinhua news agency quoted the State Seismological Bureau as saying. At least three people died last Friday and seven were injured after a quake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale hit Jiashi, in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. Jiashi county was hit by seven quakes measuring six or more on the Richter scale last year, with one of the same magnitude as Thursday's tremor killing nine people and leaving 100,000 homeless. Two temblors measuring 5.5 and 6.0 hit the county on July 28 and August 2. China has been beset by natural disasters this summer, including the worst flooding in decades as well as typhoons. The floods, spread across south, central and northeastern provinces, have killed more than 3,000 people and affected nearly one-fifth of the country's population, according to government estimates.

(3) CHINESE TEACHER WHO RAPED PUPILS IN CLASS SENTENCED TO DEATH

3 September 1998, Agence France-Presse BEIJING, Sept 3 (AFP)

A village school teacher in southwest China who repeatedly raped female pupils aged between eight and 12 during class has been sentenced to death, a newspaper report seen here Thursday said. The intermediate court of Suining city, Sichuan province on August 28 pronounced Tang Jin, 29, guilty of raping 10 girls and physically abusing two others between 1996 and last June, the Qianjiang Evening News reported in its Sunday edition. The "horrific" crime had aroused widespread popular indignation, the verdict said. Local officials contacted by AFP said the teacher had not yet appealed the death sentence but had until September 7 to do so or face immediate execution. Tang was arrested following complaints from parents and children in Tielu village in June. The Yangcheng Evening News reported he assaulted the schoolgirls at the back of the classroom, sometimes several times a day for more than two years. More than 50 other children were given work to do and told not to turn their heads. Anyone who disobeyed was beaten, the report said. Colleagues sometimes entered the class by accident, but pretended not to see anything and did not report the teacher to the authorities, it said. One nine-year-old girl was violated twice a week on average for close to three years. Parents of one victim found blood on her school clothes but said nothing for fear of ruining her chances for a future marriage, the Yangcheng Evening News said. It said the atrocities were well-known in the village, but locals kept the matter to themselves. Reports of rapes within the school system are becoming more common on the Chinese press. A teacher in southwestern regio of Guangxi was executed in May after being found guilty of 77 rapes involving 28 of his students aged between seven and 13.

(4) DEPARTMENT OF LITTLE-KNOWN STATISTICS

2 September 1998, Reuters BEIJING (Reuters)

An average of 386 fires broke out in China every day in the first six months of 1998, the China Daily said Wednesday. Police recorded a total of 69,574 blazes between January and June, the newspaper said. A total of 1,095 people were killed and 2,175 injured, it said. China's worst fire under communist rule killed 694 people, including 597 children, on Lunar New Year's Day in a crowded cinema in the northwestern region of Xinjiang in 1977, but a newspaper reported it only in April 1995.

(5) CHINA COMPLETES STUDY FOR TIBET RAILWAY

2 September 1998, Agence France-Presse BEIJING, Sept 2 (AFP)

China has completed a feasibility study for a long-cherished project to build a railway between Tibet and Qinghai province, the official Xinhua news agency reported Wednesday. The 1100-kilometre (680-mile) railway will link the Tibetan capital Lhasa with Golmud in Qinghai province and will cost a total of 13.92 billion yuan (1.7 billion dollars), an official with the ministry of railways told Xinhua. China completed a first phase of the railway in 1984, the 815 kilometres (505 miles) linking Golmud with the capital of Qinghai province, Xining. But the Golmud-Lhasa stretch was thrown into doubt by the extreme weather conditions and the mountainous terrain. However Xinhua said railway experts have now, after years of research, found ways around difficulties such as frozen soil and high altitudes. The Tibet Autonomous Region is the only region in China still without railways.

(6) TAIWAN EDITOR DETAINED

2 September 1998, South China Morning Post

A Taiwanese newspaper editor was being questioned by security authorities in Xinjiang last night. Lee Fu-chung, an editor of Central Daily, a newspaper associated with the Kuomintang, was being held by police in the regional capital Urumqi for "engaging in activities incompatible with his status as a journalist", officials said. Xinjiang's Taiwan Affairs Office was still mediating with security officials last night in a bid to find out if Mr Lee had violated any laws while on the mainland. eports] It was not clear if his detention was in connection with his reports about separatist activities within Xinjiang. The Aftermath] Mr Lee, a member of the KMT, had planned to travel to Yili district today accompanied by another Taiwanese reporter. The editor was last in contact with his colleagues in Taipei on Monday night when he said he had problems trying to transmit his articles to his newspaper from his hotel. It was believed that Mr Lee was detained after he sent his reports from another hotel. The editor, who is in his 30s, travelled to the northwestern region last Wednesday to cover the annual Urumqi Trade Fair. Other reporters covering the event reported his disappearance to the Taiwan Affairs Office. The event has attracted less interest than in the past years.

(7) TAIWANESE JOURNALIST RELEASED AFTER DETENTION IN CHINA

2 September 1998, Agence France Presse TAIPEI, Sept 2 (AFP)

A Taiwanese journalist detained overnight by security authorities in China's Xinjiang province was released early Wednesday, his newspaper said. "Lee Fu-chung called us this morning saying he was freed and safe. He will shorten his stay in Xinjiang and return home in the next few days," Central Daily News deputy editor-in-chief Wang Tsung-jung said. Lee did not give details about his detention in Urumqi, she added. Lee had been held for allegedly engaging in activities incompatible with his status as a reporter, the local TVBS television said. He was released after signing some form of confession, TVBS added. Lee and a reporter from another Taiwan daily, the United Daily News, were covering an economic conference in Urumqi, which ended Tuesday.

(8) JIANG ZEMIN: "THROUGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BREAK UP XINJIANG INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT"

1 September 1998, Shijie Ribao (World Journal, New York)

Jiang Zemin secretly ordered the local officials to crack down on separatists during his visit to Kashgar (Xinjiang) in July. [World Journal, Beijing] Suppressing the Xinjiang Uyghur separatists has always been an important ruling policy of Beijing. During a visit to Xinjiang in July this year, China's president Jiang Zemin ordered to the inner circle of local officials to be tough on separatists, the Taibei Zhong Yang Daily reported. Sources disclosed that the Chinese police recently uncovered a Xinjiang pro-independence terrorist group in Kashgar, the most populous Uyghur city, and arrested about 20 people, all of who were trained in Afghanistan. It has been speculated that authorities will execute all of them after a secret trial. The information source also said that Uyghur pro-independence elements hanged the East Turkistani flag from the Hongshan mountain in the center of the capital city of Urumchi, on October 1, 1996, the national day of China, causing anxiety among the Chinese police. The police removed the flag immediately after they learned about it. However, the perpetrator has not been captured. Although Beijing's authority in Xinjiang is still very stable and the Chinese population in Xinjiang has reached 40%, yet, the Muslim Uyghurs have a totally different culture and religion from the Chinese. Therefore, the nationalistic call for Xinjiang independence has a great appeal in Xinjiang, especially in the Southern Xinjiang where Uyghurs are concentrated most. This greatly worries the Chinese authorities. Therefore, Jiang Zemin urged during his July visit not only to step up the suppression of the independence movement but also to speed up economic development. Beijing authorities believe that separatists, who stand on a political ground, will lose support if the economy improves. Therefore, mainland authorities have been speeding up investment in the recent years in Xinjiang, especially in the capital city Urumchi. The investment speed in basic structure is astonishing. High buildings are rising everywhere in Urumchi. The 8th Urumchi International Trade Fair opened on September 1. This annual Trade Fair has become an important tool for Xinjiang to prevent a political crisis by economic development.

(9) XINJIANG SITUATION STILL TENSE

31 August 1998, Zhong Yang agency, Beijing Qiao Shi calls to strike hard on separatists. The third man in the Chinese communist party Central Committee hierarchy, Qiao Shi, who is in charge of Central Committee's security, police, policy and law enforcement, recently visited Xinjiang for eight days. During his visit, he said to local officials that a small number of separatists has to be dealt seriously, and should be cracked down hard without hesitation. This shows that the situation there is still quite volatile. According to the Xinjiang radio station, Qiao Shi visited Xinjiang during August 20-27, and inspected security situation in Urumchi, Shihanzi, Sanji, and other cities. He was accompanied by the Xinjiang communist party secretary Wang Lequan. The radio reported that, after Wang Lequan's report on the current situation in Xinjiang, Qiao Shi stressed that the issue of ethnic unity should be given first priority. The Xinjiang radio also reported that the Xinjiang division of the armed police was recently reenforced by a new riot prevention tank battalion. The report also said that, recently, the Xinjiang division of the armed police carried out a riot prevention drill at the range located east of Urumchi. The riot prevention tank battalion carried out a real bullet training to prevent sudden riots. This news report also indicates on a tense situation in Xinjiang. [Translated and submitted to WUNN by Turdi Huji.]

(10) CHINESE POLICE ARREST SUSPECTS

29 August 1998, Associate Press BEIJING (AP)

Police have arrested a group of suspects and seized firearms in a far west region of China that has been rocked by terrorist attacks, an official newspaper reported. The attacks occurred in the Yili district of Xinjiang, a large, restive region where Muslim separatists are battling Chinese rule. Acts of terrorism have occurred ``many times'' in Yili since last year, the Xinjiang Daily said in its Aug. 24 edition, seen today in Beijing. Police responded by breaking up more than 10 criminal gangs, detaining a group of suspects and seizing guns and ammunition, the newspaper said. It gave no details of the crackdown but said some police officers were killed and injured. Since last year, Yili police have set up 33 new stations and hired 456 additional officers, it said. Xinjiang was ruled by Chinese emperors for 200 years as a buffer state between China and the Muslim nations of Central Asia. The Uighurs, Xinjiang's main ethnic group, briefly ran an independent state before communist forces retook the region in 1949. Separatist sentiment, never fully quelled, has been reignited in recent years by Iran's Islamic revolution and by the newly independent Central Asian nations created in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse. China has tried to counter the effect by improving relations with Kazakstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and getting them to pledge not to support anti-Chinese separatists.

(11) CHINA DOOMSDAY AUTHOR REVEALS IDENTITY AFTER YEARS OF SECRECY

25 February 1998, Reuters New book focuses on tug-of-war over Tibet BEIJING (Reuters)

For years, the author of one of the bestselling novels in the Chinese-speaking world was known simply to readers as "Bao Mi," or "kept secret," for his own protection because he broke taboos and spelled China's doomsday. The political novel "Yellow Peril" painted an apocalyptic scenario in which civil war erupts between north and south China -- with Nationalist-ruled Taiwan backing the south -- and ends in nuclear conflict and millions of starving refugees spilling across borders. China's propagandists banned Wang's novel, but thousands of pirated copies have been sold across the country. Almost seven years after "Yellow Peril" went on sale in Taiwan and Hong Kong, Chinese author Wang Lixiong came forward earlier this month to take credit for the work. "The authorities could not tolerate my novel because it predicted the collapse of the Communist Party. But I felt strongly that a crisis was looming and I had to tell the story." author Wang Lixiong "The authorities could not tolerate my novel because it predicted the collapse of the Communist Party," Wang told Reuters on Tuesday. "But I felt strongly that a crisis was looming and I had to tell the story. I was mentally prepared for trouble from the authorities," Wang said. "I was willing to pay the price." But Wang said so far authorities have, surprisingly, left him alone. "I knew the bottom line of the authorities -- they would not execute me simply because I had written a novel," Wang said. "The worst that could have happened to me would have been imprisonment. I could afford to pay that price." "But I would not have dared to write the novel during Mao Tse-tung's days," he added. "The price that I would have paid would have been too high." 'They'll definitely ban my new book' The 44-year-old author insists that his worries were not misguided and that China's crisis is around the corner. Wang delves into ethnic tensions, which are a focal point of the crisis, in his new book, "Sky Burial -- The Fate of Tibet" -- a non-fiction work focusing on the restive Himalayan region of Tibet. "They'll definitely ban my new book," Wang said. The volume is being published in Hong Kong, a former British colony which reverted to Chinese rule last July but which governs itself. "China, the West and the Dalai Lama are like vultures preying on Tibet. Each has its own needs and interests, and each will get the things they want at the expense of the Tibetan people. Tibetans will suffer and pay the price." author Wang Lixiong Wang said he was "mesmerized" by Tibet and had traveled to the devoutly Buddhist region 10 times since 1984, spending a total of two years there. "China, the West and the Dalai Lama are like vultures preying on Tibet," said the author, who spent three years and three months writing the book. "Each has its own needs and interests, and each will get the things they want at the expense of the Tibetan people. Tibetans will suffer and pay the price." Beijing has come under fire from the West for its heavy-handed treatment of those seeking independence for Tibet. China dismisses such criticism as interference in its internal affairs and has slammed the West for using Tibet as a tool to split China. Chinese troops marched into Tibet in 1951 and suppressed an uprising in the remote and mountainous region in 1959 that forced Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and thousands of followers to flee into exile in India. Wang said China would hold back democratization until it could get assurance that ethnic minorities would not clamor for independence once they had democracy. The author ruled out the possibility of Tibet declaring itself independent due mainly to opposition from the three million-strong People's Liberation Army and the people. "I doubt any Chinese government could give up Tibet," Wang said. The western Muslim region of Xinjiang and northern Inner Mongolia would follow suit if Tibet became independent, he said.

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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