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China lists Uygur groups among
terrorists
BEIJING, Dec 15, 2003 (Kyodo via COMTEX) -- Chinese
police officials on Monday released a list of four
organizations, including an Internet-based information
service, and 11 individuals suspected of planning or
carrying out terrorist attacks to separate a largely
Muslim region from China.
The report also implicates several Central Asian and
Middle Eastern countries.
The officials also called on foreign governments to
help with a crackdown, but not every country cited in
the report agrees with China's analysis or can help.
The Ministry of Public Security announced at a press
conference that since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks on the United States, China had identified its
"first batch" of people suspected of plotting to split
the largely Muslim and ethnically distinct Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region from China.
China took over Xinjiang in 1949 and since then many
Uygurs say they have lived as second-class citizens or
under government oppression.
Applying its own criminal laws and U.N. resolutions on
what constitutes a terrorist, the ministry found
suspects had plotted to bomb public buildings, poison
kindergartens, destroy oil pipelines and railways and
assassinate people, said Zhao Yongshen, antiterrorism
vice director with the ministry.
Most of the activity had been planned in northwest
China, he said, adding "cyber-terrorism" also loomed
as a threat.
China's antiterrorism thrust fits with the worldwide
trend since Sept. 11, 2001, Zhao said.
"Terrorism is a public hazard facing the international
community. We should try our best to eliminate the
symptoms and the root causes," he said.
The organizations judged terrorist include the East
Turkistan Information Center, an Internet-based
service accused of recruiting terrorists and issuing
what the list calls "propaganda on terrorism,
extremism and separatism."
East Turkistan refers to Xinjiang.
"This is an out-and-out terrorist organization under
the cloak of an information center," Zhao charged.
The list also names the Eastern Turkistan Islamic
Movement -- which the U.S. also considers a terrorist
group -- the Eastern Turkistan Liberation Organization
and the World Uygur Youth Congress.
The 11 individual suspects are accused of training
hundreds of would-be terrorists, producing thousands
of arms in underground factories and smuggling arms
from bordering states.
One suspect, Muhanmetemin Hazret, allegedly smuggled
19,000 bullets, 92 hand grenades and other weaponry
into China in 1998 via Horgos, a city on the border
with Kazakstan. The report cites Horgos as a point of
entry for other arms smuggling attempts.
Another suspect, Abudumijit Muhammatkelim, arranged
the murders of three Xinjiang villagers in 1996, the
ministry's report says.
China does not target terrorists according to race or
religion, Zhao said, and most people suspected of
involvement with terrorists are "reeducated" rather
than punished.
Zhao declined to name specific countries that had
helped or hindered China, but he said the 15 bordering
states were the most critical.
The report says the listed terrorists have connections
with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and
Germany.
Terrorists have also tried to ship weapons via
Pakistan, the list says.
A Saudi official disputed the report that while on a
pilgrimage to Mecca a terrorist suspect raised funds
and preached holy war for Xinjiang independence.
"Absolutely, we don't have any information," said the
Saudi Arabian ambassador to China. "This absolutely is
not correct."
China has asked Germany to stop the Munich-based East
Turkistan Information Center, said a diplomatic source
in Beijing, but because German officials lack evidence
the center has violated Chinese law, they cannot take
legal action.
The information center also has representatives in
Australia and Turkey plus other parts of Europe and
Central Asia.
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