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Double Standards In Treating Uighurs And Chinese Outside Their Ethnic Terrtories
[East Turkistan Information Center,
07/03/01]
Following its policy of "opening northwest", the Chinese government is planning to attract new investments to develop the economy of East Turkistan and create new jobs But, will the local people benefit from this program?
Although the Chinese authorities create new jobs in East Turkistan, it also moves huge numbers of Chinese workers from inner provinces to fill these jobs. According to the Xinhua Information Agency, from January to February of this year, more than 600 thousand Chinese moved to East Turkistan seeking jobs.
To attract workers from inner provinces, authorities set up special offices through out the country and carry out a propaganda campaign using mass media. The local government of the Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region and People's Liberation Army set up special offices at the Urumchi railway station to meet Chinese migrants and to transport them to different regions of East Turkistan. The railway company increased number of train runs from China proper. Besides, the government has issues several regulations providing Chinese migrants with some economic and social benefits.
The special program of the government to help Chinese migrants with employment in East Turkistan makes unemployed Uighurs angry and puts additional stress on inter-ethnic relations in the region. At present, the unemployment rate among Uighurs is dramatically increasing. Even young Uighur university graduates are not able to find jobs.
On the contrary, Uighurs coming to China's inner provinces for study, employment or business are subjected to the racial discrimination both by the authorities and the Chinese population.
On June 6, more than 2000 Chinese students attacked 117 Uighur students at Changan University in Xian, and in the result of the incident three Uighur students were injured. The Chinese students blocked the dormitory of Uighur students, shouted racial slurs like "Xinjiang pigs, go home!", and threw stones.
On March 21, the police officers in the Chinese city of Shenzhen beat up two Uighur traders causing severe body injuries to the
Uighurs.
After the incident, 100 Uighurs went on a demonstration to protest the Chinese police brutality against Uighurs.
Recently, a young Uighur named Shorka (?) was beaten and killed by police in Beijing.
It is becoming common that Uighurs are denied service in hotels, hospitals, and small businesses in inner Chinese provinces.
Double standards in treating Uighurs and Chinese in inner provinces and East Turkistan, respectively, causes discontent among Uighurs.
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ETIC REPORT 2000 
