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Weekly Political and Scientific Newspaper - A Eastern Turkistan News Agency Publication

2. Radio Discussion
The President of Eastern Turkistan Information Center, Mr. A. Karakash gave an interview to the correspondent of Radio Liberty Hasanjan about the situation in Eastern Turkistan:

As we have informed the public before, the Chinese regime recently has launched in Eastern Turkistan “intensified struggle against the nationalist separatists.” From the beginning of March the Chinese authorities really hardened this policy.
According to our information over last 10 days in all regions and parts of Eastern Turkistan the special meetings and exhibitions were organized in order to make calamities about ‘nationalist separatists and terrorists.” The main objective of these meetings was to blacken the image of Eastern Turkistan liberation forces in all possible ways: in journals, newspapers, in all kinds of mass media. People are basically forced to participate in these activities organized by the totalitarian regime. All mass media received instructions to ‘educate” the people in the spirit of hatred to “separatists”. In all Uighur schools the Communist regime recently assigned new secretaries – all of them ethnic Chinese.
The students have to participate in ‘political education” everyday at the after-lunch time and also on Saturdays. They are forced to learn the communist regime ideology, to criticize Eastern Turkistan liberation movement activists and even to be informants of the Chinese regime. As a result of such brainwashing, the education level of Uighur school students has lowered dramatically.
Also, in all Uighur-language radio, TV programs, journals, newspapers, in all primary, secondary and higher schools a very strict police control is instilled. Any sign of national values and pride is chased and eliminated – articles, national artwork, and every person found guilty of promoting national values is persecuted severely.
For example, the famous historian at the Kashgar publishing house Alim Turghun published 2 books: ‘Ancient Uighur literature” and “Brief history of the Huns”, and he was immediately accused of “publishing nationalist separatist books”. The publishing house became subject to a separate investigation, the director was forced to ‘retire’. Twenty new employees – al of them ethnic Chinese – were recruited instead.
The oppressive actions also include violation of religious rights. The Chinese regime is forcing the Uighurs to refute openly their adherence to Islam and to turn away from their religion. On March 1, at the meeting in Urumchi the city part committee secretary Heyiming gave a speech and demanded from the clerics to fight in any possible way with the ‘nationalist separatists.” According to our knowledge, the Chinese regime is even compiling a “new version” of the Koran with the quotes directed against the nationalist liberation movement. This ‘new version” is planned to be distributed to mosques and imams (religious clerics).
On March 4 in Kashgar city at the meeting dedicated to the issues of education, the city party committee deputy secretary Jiang Jien delivered a speech where he said: “ teachers involved in religious activities shall be punished severely, students involved in same activities (if they worship) will be punished also, besides, their parents and teachers will also face punishment.” The regime even prohibits wearing beards by teachers as a sign of ‘religious radicalism” and “nationalist separatism” and basically forced such teachers to shave their beards and moustaches.
Besides, last week, in Kashgar city 6 young Uighurs were accused of visiting in Internet the sites “with nationalist separatism propaganda” and were taken to prison. The Chinese regime used this case as an excuse to close many Internet cafes owned by Uighurs in Kashgar city.
All above-mentioned incidents demonstrate serious human right violations in Eastern Turkistan.

2002.3.12.

©1997-2002 ETIC.  27  March  2002  Designed By A. Karakash