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Q: Cevdet Sayhan
The Shanghai Forum reached a decision to take
international efforts in fighting the global terrorism.
In the view of latest events in Afghanistan, there was
mentioning of some ethnic Uighurs fought on the Taliban
side. The Chinese regime use this fact as a reason to
take harsh measures in the Uighur autonomous province
against the local inhabitants. According to the latest
news, hundreds of Uighurs were arrested in Urumchi on
accusations of terrorism and connections to the global
radicalist movements. You address regularly the
Westerners on such issues as the head of information
department, so what is your opinion about this situation?
A: A. Qaraqash.
1) First of all, one thing has to be clarified right
away. The establishment of the “Shanghai Cooperation
Forum’ caused us Uighurs great harm. The Chinese
government gained backup from the Central Asian
countries and Russia in its oppressing the Eastern
Turkistan liberation movement. China can also influence
these countries politically to the greater degree. Over
6 years since foundation of this organization China has
achieved its main objectives. The Central Asian
countries promised China to oppress the national
liberation movement in Eastern Turkistan and fulfilled
eventually their promises. Central Asian governments
extradited the political Eastern Turkistan refugees to
China, and restricted severely the Uighur liberation
activities in these states.
Naturally, the Uighurs grew quite unhappy about the
present Central Asian governments’ actions against them.
After the tragedy of September 11 the great changes took
place in Central Asia. The overturn of the Taliban
government and development of close political and
military ties between American and Central Asian
countries weakened substantially the “Shanghai
Cooperation Forum”.
The Uighurs welcomed these positive changes. However,
one cannot expect that the relations between China and
Central Asian countries will loosen in the foreseeable
future and that negative attitude of Central Asian
countries toward independence of Eastern Turkistan will
change.
This issue is basically related to the process of
democratic development of these countries and to the
overall world situation.
2) After September 11 events, the Chinese regime accused
Uighurs of terrorism, and strengthened its oppression of
the eastern Turkistan Uighurs.
During last 3 months over 3000 Ughurs were accused of
political charges and were imprisoned. More than 20
Uighurs were sentenced to death and shot dead in open
public squares. The persecution, arresting and harassing
the religious clerics continued.
3) The Chinese authorities made false allegations of
Uighurs as “ being religious radical
terrorists” . To justify these allegations, the Chinese
government claimed that bases were built in Afghanistan
by militant Uighurs who fought in Afghanistan on the
Taliban side, that at such military bases the Uighur
militants were preparing for fighting in Eastern
Turkistan. It is true that a few Uighurs joined the
Taliban movement; some of them fled from Eastern
Turkistan to Central Asia and Pakistan, and there they
failed to get political asylum there and went to
Afghanistan to save their lives. The fact that a few
Uighurs fought on the Taliban side for whatever reasons
does not prove the Uighurs in general or any Uighur
liberation movements are connected with Taliban or
global terrorism. This fact does not mean that Uighurs
are religious radicals either!
4) Even though Chinese authorities attempt to depict
Uighurs as terrorists, they fail to achieve their goal.
The US President George W. Bush, making the speech
before international human rights representatives, and
particularly of Human rights committee chairwoman Mary
Robinson, has conformed that the problem of Eastern
Turkistan remains the issue of democracy and human
rights. President accused the Chinese government of
oppressing Uighurs on the pretext of September 11 events.
We express our gratitude in this regard to President
Bush, Ms. Mary Robinson and all organizations and
individuals who support the Uighur people fight for
liberation, democracy and freedom!
5) We Uighurs are not “terrorists” as the Chinese
government names us. We only aim at gaining
independence from the Chinese ruling and we wish to
build the independent Eastern Turkistan state. We view
these goals as our legal right for independence and
self-determination. We desire to reach this objective by
political, peaceful and democratic means.
And we will do eventually reach our sacred objective
sooner or later! |
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