WWW--ETIC/The World Uyghur Network News/ 12 September

An electronic newsletter

Produced by the Eastern Turkistan Information Center

No: 10

12 September 1996

In this issue:

(1) PREMEDIATED MURDER (A LETTER FROM THE MOTHERLAND)

(2) THE PROTESTS AGAINST THE BRUTAL POLICIES OF CHINESE GOVERNMENT

(3) THE FLAG OF EASTERN TURKISTAN

(4) OIL FOUNTAIN

(5) CHINA PREMIER WARNS RELIGIOUS TO OBEY LAW

(6) CHINA'S PREMIER HAS CAUTIONED RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS TO STAY WITHIN CHINESE LAW.

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(1) PREMEDIATED MURDER (A LETTER FROM THE MOTHERLAND)

Dilmurat Israpil was born in 1963 in Penjim Village of Gulja County in the family of a teacher. Having graduated elementary and secondary schools in Penjim, Dilmurat entered to the Biology Department of the XUAR University. After 5 years of study, he successfully graduated from the University and was directed to the Gulja County's secondary school

#1 as a Biology teacher.

He began his carrier with enthusiasm and in a short period of time demonstrated good teaching and communication abilities. Dilmurat was nominated the school's Biology subject coordinator and a secretary of the school's trade union group.

The remarkable achievements of Dilmurat in his work were noticed by the Gulja county communist party committee and the local government, and he was promoted to a post of a deputy secretary of the county trade union organization. After one year Dilmurat was promoted even further to a post of a head of the Gulja county communist party office...

On August 4, 1995, a ruthless killer cut short the 32 years old life of Dilmurat. That tragic day around 2 p.m. Dilmurat as usual came to his work after a midday break. He parked his bicycle in front of his office building and was unsuspectedly heading towards the entrance to

the building when a sudden bullet from the front building hit him right to a forehead. Dilmurat fell dead.

It is a murder. Shortly after, the investigation was concluded with a statement saying that Dilmurat Israpil was killed by accident; a son of the Gulja county party secretary was cleaning his personal gun and accidentally discharged it.

Nevertheless, the Uyghur community in Gulja firmly believes that it was a premeditated murder organized by some of the Chinese authorities. People suspect that Dilmurat was murdered because the authorities noticed that his world outlook began to change from the official line. Apparently, Dilmurat began to realize oppressive character of a current regime in XUAR. The Chinese authorities were threatened by a growing popularity of Dilmurat among the Uyghur people, and decided to get rid of him.

(2) THE PROTESTS AGAINST THE BRUTAL POLICIES OF CHINESE GOVERNMENT

The people of Uyghuristan are expressing growing protests against the brutal policies of the Communist Chinese government in the XUAR. In the morning of July 16 the anti Chinese leaflets were posted at the Doeng Mehelle, Bide Bazar, Xitay Bazar and some other places in Gulja City. The leaflets were removed by the authorities around 10 a.m. The leaflets said: "Friends! The Chinese are invading Xinjiang! Wake up!".

(3) THE FLAG OF EASTERN TURKISTAN

On July 26-27 the flag of the People's Republic of China was removed from its flag-mast in front of the communist party committee building in Kashgar and the blue "The crescent and star" flag of Eastern Turkistan Republic was hoisted instead. The same day the flag of the Eastern Turkistan Republic was raised in two other places in Kashgar.

(4) OIL FOUNTAIN

The XUAR TeleRadio Company recently reported that in August at the place located 25 kilometers from a district center of Kutubi county the natural burst of oil occurred making a fountain reaching 45 meters height.

(5) CHINA PREMIER WARNS RELIGIOUS TO OBEY LAW

BEIJING- Chinese Premier Li Peng warned believers not to step out of line and called for tighter controls on religious activities while on a visit to China's restive Muslim northwest, the People's Daily said Thursday.

``Religious activities must take place within legal limits,'' the Communist Party newspaper quoted Li as saying during a visit to northwestern China's mostly Muslim Xinjiang region.

``The relevant departments should...step up the control of religious affairs,'' Li said.

A front-page photograph of the usually stern-faced Li showed him donning the embroidered skullcap worn by many of Xinjiang's ethnic minority residents to cover their heads when they go to the mosque.

Li said China upholds freedom of religious belief, but he added that religion should serve the aims of socialism. He did not elaborate on how the faithful should follow those precepts under Beijing's atheist communist rulers.

``Religion should conform to the needs of the times and the development of society,'' he said.

Li called for unity among all nationalities in Xinjiang, which has been frequently plagued by ethnic strife.

Many of Xinjiang's ethnic Uyghur and Kazakh residents say they resent the influx of ethnic Chinese laborers to the resource-rich region.

``In this big, multi-ethnic household of ours, all nationalities help each other equally and develop together,'' Li said.

Economic prosperity was essential to strengthening ethnic unity and China would make huge efforts to improve education and boost technical development in the region, Li said.

``Our ethnic policy and religious policy are correct and in line with the common interests of peoples of all ethnicity,'' he said.

Xinjiang has been racked in recent months by several violent clashes between Muslim separatists wanting to end Chinese rule in the area and by politically-motivated assassination attempts.

Xinjiang officials battling the increasingly violent campaign for independence have warned that ``splittism'' and illegal religious activities posed the most serious threat to stability in the region.

Beijing last May ordered tighter border controls in the region to try to curb the smuggling of weapons and subversive materials from neighboring Muslim states. Xinjiang borders on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

(6) CHINA'S PREMIER HAS CAUTIONED RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS TO STAY WITHIN CHINESE LAW.

China's premier has cautioned religious believers to stay within Chinese law. He called on the government and the communist party to make sure religions fit into a socialist society. VOA's Gil Butler has the story from Beijing.

Premier Li Peng spoke during a visit to northwestern Xinjiang province, where Islam is the main religion. According to Xinhua News Agency Mr. Li said freedom of religious belief should be protected, but Such activities must be conducted according to china's laws. He said

All the government departments concerned must improve their management of religious affairs.

According to Xinhua, Mr. Li stressed that religion should meet the requirements of society and social developments and that communist party committees and governments at all levels must guide religions to fit into a socialist society.

The Chinese premier's statements were made in a region where there have been persistent reports of unrest among the Uyghur majority, in Xinjiang. According to reports, the province -- or autonomous region , in the Chinese government designation -- has had several violent

Clashes with Muslim separatists. Xinjiang officials have warned that illegal religious activities pose a serious threat to the region's stability.

Xinjiang borders on the Muslim countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstans and Tajikistan. Last may china ordered tighter border controls to try to stop smuggling of weapons or what Beijing considers subversive materials.

Prepared by:

Abdulrakhim Aitbayev (rakhim@lochbrandy.mines.edu)

WUNN newsletter index

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The World Uyghur Network News electronic newsletter is produced by the Eastern Turkistan Information Center (ETIC) in cooperation with the Taklamakan Uighur Human Rights Association (USA), and is devoted to the current political, cultural and economic developments in Eastern Turkistan and to the Uyghur people related issues.

Eastern Turkistan (Sherqiy Turkistan in Uyghur) is a name used by the indigenous people of the region for their motherland located in what is at present the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic China.

The World Uyghur Network News brings information on situation in Eastern Turkistan from the Uyghur and other sources to the attention of the international community.

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EASTERN TURKISTAN INFORMATION CENTER

Director: Abduljelil Karkash

Lindwurmstr 99, 80337 Munich, Germany

http://www.uygur.com

Fax: 49-89-54 45 63 30 Phone: 49-89-54 40 47 72

E-mail: etic@uygur.com