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Open Letter to Officials and Business
People of Hong Kong
Dear Sir/Madam,
On behalf of the Uighur people of East Turkistan, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that the government of People's Republic of China is attempting to use the Hong Kong capital and technology to further colonize the native people and the land of East Turkistan ("Xinjiang" Uighur Autonomous Region).
The political situation in East Turkistan is far from stable, and the deceptive "peace in the region" could explode at any moment. Since 1949, Uighurs have been ruthlessly exploited and oppressed by the communist government of PRC. As a result, the local people resolutely protest further occupation and exploitation of East Turkistan.
We protest the gross violation of our human rights by the repressive political regime of PRC. We protest the violation of our rights as a minority people in PRC. We protest the violation of our right for self-determination. Thousands of Uighurs have been executed by the government for mere expressing their political views and peaceful forms of protests. Uighurs have been marginalized both in economical and political spheres of social life of East Turkistan. The sovereignity of the Uighur people was stolen by the Chinese communist dictators.
Recently, the government of PRC announced its Western Development Project. As we see it, this is another attempt to colonize our people and to exploit the resources of our land. East Turkistan has a fragile environment, and it is over-populated and suffers from lack of water and land that can be used for agricultural purposes. The population of the region has grown from about 4 million people in 1944 to more than estimated 17 million in 1999. The ratio of Uighurs to the total population decreased from 76% in 1944 to offical 47% in 1990. The unemployment rate among Uighurs is estimated at about 70% whereas the Chinese government is trying to present "Xinjiang" as the land of open opportunities and attract more ethnic Chinese people to migrate to East Turkistan causing additional stress on the society and the environment. The Uighurs are becoming more poor and more dissatisfied with each passing year.
Hong Kong is the only island of democracy in totalitarian communist China. The people of Hong Kong should be aware of the tragic situation of the Uighur people in East Turkistan. The people of Hong Kong should be aware of the fact that the Beijing regime is trying to use the Hong Kong capital to carry out its colonization policy in East Turkistan.
You can not come to someone's back yard and start doing business there for the expense of the host. We urge all investors in "Xinjiang" to respect the true host of this land and do not participate in the further colonization of East Turkistan and its people.
In this regard, we would like to draw your attention to the following.First, Hong Kong business people might lose all of their investments because of the unstable and explosive situation in East Turkistan. A protractive military conflict, one like in Russia's Chechnya, could erupt in the region at any moment. Second, it is immoral by the standards of the 21st century to colonize other peoples and their lands or to profit from such colonization.
We hope that you will think twice before investing your money in East Turkistan. We hope that the political regime in China will change, and the power in China will belong to the Chinese people. We hope that the people of East Turkistan will decide its own destiny and on how to develop its land. When that time comes, any investment in East Turkistan economy will be welcome and desired, and it will benefit both the local people and the
investors.
Sincerely,
East Turkistan Information Center
On behalf of the Uighur People of East Turkistan
May 21, 2001
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ETIC REPORT 2000 
