An electronic newsletter Produced by the Eastern Turkistan Information Center No: 39 8 May 1997 In this issue: (1) XINJIANG COURT SENTENCES 3 TO DEATH FOR 5 FEB RIOT
(2) XINJIANG'S JUNGGAR BASIN TO PRODUCE MORE OIL, GAS
(3) AUTHORITIES OF GILGIT TRADED 13 UYGHURS TO THE CHINESE OVERNMENT
(4) CHINA HAS JAILED THREE TIBETANS ON CHARGES OF LEAKING STATE SECRETS
(5) PAKISTAN DEPORTS 12 CHINESE MOSLEMS TO XINJIANG PROVINCE
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=* (1) XINJIANG COURT SENTENCES 3 TO DEATH FOR 5 FEB RIOT
"Ili Prefecture Intermediate People's Court and Ili City People's Court Hold a Public Judgment Pronouncement Meeting To Sternly Pass Judgment on the First Group of Offenders Involved in the '5 February' Riot Involving Beating, Smashing, and Looting That Seriously Endangered National Security; Three Offenders Are Sentenced to Death; One to Life Imprisonment; and 26 to Imprisonment Ranging From Seven to 18 Years" On the morning of 24 April, the Ili Prefectural Intermediate People's Court and the Ili City People's Court held a grand meeting at the Ili Prefectural Stadium to pronounce public judgment, where stern verdicts were meted out to the first group of criminal offenders who engaged in beating, smashing, and looting in the "5 February" riot, which seriously endangered national security. At the meeting, 30 criminal offenders involved in 18 cases were pronounced guilty. Of the offenders, three people, Yusufu Duersun, Aishan Maimaiti, and Yibulayin Kasenmu, were sentenced to death for crimes ranging from causing injury, arson, hooliganism, beating people, smashing property, and looting; Xiernali Shadeke was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime of hooliganism; and 26 other criminal offenders received imprisonment sentences ranging from seven to 18 years. A riot involving beating, smashing, and looting that seriously endangered national security occurred in Ili city on 5 and 6 February this year. The riot endangered the lives and property of local people and undermined the normal public order. Those who were sentenced at the public judgment pronouncement meeting were the first group of offenders involved in the "5 February" incident. Attending the grand meeting were more than 5,000 people of various circles from Ili city, including the principal leaders of the Ili Autonomous Prefecture, Ili Prefecture, Ili city, the Fourth Agricultural Division of the Xinjiang Production-Construction Corps, and People's Armed Police units stationed in Ili. Also attending the grand meeting were leaders of the Ili autonomous prefectural, Ili prefectural, and Ili city political and legal committees and public security, procuratorial, and judicial departments. Kuerbanjiang Maimaiti, deputy secretary of the Ili prefectural party committee and commissioner of the prefecture, addressed the pronouncement meeting. He said: A handful of criminal offenders, ignoring state laws and openly making themselves the enemy of the people, frenziedly carried out beating, smashing, and looting by resorting to violent and terrorist means. They burned vehicles and houses and killed public security police and police officers and innocent people, committing unpardonable crimes, seriously threatening national security and the lives and property of the people, seriously interfering with and undermining the political situation of unity and stability, and adversely affecting the excellent situation of reform and opening up to the outside world. Kuerbanjiang Maimaiti stressed that to protect national security; the lives and property of the people; the fundamental interests of the people of all ethnic groups; and develop the excellent situation of reform, opening up to the outside world, and the modernization drive, we must take facts as the basis and the law as the criterion and punish, severely and on a timely basis, all types of criminals who seriously endanger national security, so as to resolutely safeguard political and social stability. (2) XINJIANG'S JUNGGAR BASIN TO PRODUCE MORE OIL, GAS
Urumqi, May 8 (XINHUA) -- Junggar Basin in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is expected to verify 600 million tons of oil reserves and produce an annual crude output of 10 million tons by the end of the century. In addition, it will develop an annual gas output of three billion cu m by the year 2000, according to a local source. The Junggar Basin, located in the northern part of Xinjiang, is very rich in oil and gas reserves. Both Chinese and foreign experts estimate that the basin has geological oil and gas reserves totaling 6.9 billion tons and 1.24 trillion cu m, respectively. Oil exploration in the basin started in the 1950s. The KaraMay Oil Field -- the country's first big oil field was found here. So far, more than 20 oil and gas fields have been developed, 16 operational. The basin turned out 8.3 million tons of crude last year, ranking first among the three great basins in the autonomous region. The Junggar Basin has huge potential to tap in terms of oil and gas production and verification. Experts held that the cumulative proven oil reserves in the basin will total three billion tons by 2005. In addition, its annual oil and gas output will exceed 15 million tons and three billion cu m, respectively, by that time. (3) AUTHORITIES OF GILGIT TRADED 13 UYGHURS TO THE CHINESE OVERNMENT
The 13 young Uyghurs escaped to Gilgit city of Pakistan seeking asylum from religious persecutions from the Chinese authorities, but were arrested by the Pakistani police. On April 17, the arrested Uyghurs were released on bail of the local residents and were accepted as students of Gilgit's Islamic schools. After 3 days, the Uyghurs were taken away from the schools by the police, and were deported back to China. The Pakistani human rights group warned the Foreign Ministry that these Uyghurs might face persecutions in China, and decided to send its representative to Gilgit to obtain additional information on the incident. The American human rights organization addressed to the secretary of Pakistan's Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Merjuenhan, and the secretary of Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Shemshat Ahmet, with requests to investigate this incident. A special investigation team from those ministries was sent to Gilgit. The representatives of Gilgit's Islamic schools expressed their deep regrets on the happened incident. The names of the deported Uyghurs are Abdullah, Abdurishit, Abdusemet, Muhammet Ali, Muhammet Kirem, Mahmud, Obulqasim, Abdurehim, Muhammet Yasin, Abdusalam, Nur Ali, Abdullah, and Mehemmet Turdi. [Shemshat Mangit, Islamabad] (4) CHINA HAS JAILED THREE TIBETANS ON CHARGES OF LEAKING STATE SECRETS
By TOM KORSKI China has jailed three Tibetans on charges of leaking state secrets and conspiring to "split the country." The jailed defendants include Qazha Qamba Chilai, a former member of the Chinese people's political consultative conference. Tom Korski reports from Beijing all three were imprisoned following a secret trial. China announced the prison sentences in a terse statement issued by a people's court in Tibet. Authorities say three Tibetans were imprisoned for up to six years on a range of criminal charges, including disclosure of state secrets and a charge of "plotting to split the country". The prisoners include a former vice-chairman of Tibet’s delegation to china's people's political consultative conference, a senior state advisory group. Other defendants include a Tibetan executive with a state-owned company, and a former local administrator. In an official statement, china's state news agency Xinhua says the three Tibetans "colluded with separatist forces abroad." Authorities refuse to disclose details. According to Xinhua, two of the defendants were tried without a lawyer, by their own choice. A third defendant was granted legal counsel. The Xinhua report suggests the three individuals were believed to be sympathetic to Tibet’s government-in-exile, headquartered in India and led by the Dalai Lama. Official confirmation of the court's verdict came Wednesday. But authorities say the three defendants were secretly placed on trial April 21 -- just two days before president Clinton met with the Dalai Lama in Washington. At that meeting, the white house appealed to china to "enter into a dialogue" with Tibet’s spiritual leader. Beijing refuses to attend direct talks with Tibet's government-in-exile. In recent weeks, authorities have complained of increasing unrest in Tibet. China's state media claims what are termed "illegal activities" have become rampant, alleging that Tibetan Buddhists are engaged in "political activities." Tibet's exiled leaders accuse china of waging a campaign of "cultural genocide" and religious repression in Tibet, which has been occupied by the Chinese army since 1950. (5) PAKISTAN DEPORTS 12 CHINESE MOSLEMS TO XINJIANG PROVINCE
Twelve Chinese Moslem youths were deported to Xinjiang province by Pakistani authorities, AFP reported. A Chinese source confirmed that the youths entered Pakistan by road last December "without visa and without passport." The youths, aged between 17 and 20, were taken into custody by Pakistani police in the northern town of Gilgit. Since then, the Chinese government has sought to repatriate them, maintaining that "they violated both Pakistani and Chinese immigration laws." Pakistan local news agency PPI had reported that the youths fled China fearing "threats" in the Xinjiang region. China diplomatic sources rejected concerns raised by Pakistani human rights activists for the safety of the Chinese Moslems upon their returning to China, and labeled them "mere speculation." (Ray ZHANG, Guochen WAN) [ETIC remark] Eastern Turkistan Information Center was informed that 13 Uyghurs, in fact, saught polytical asylum in Pakistan escaping from persecutions from the Chinese government. The lifes of these people might be in danger, and the Pakistani atuthorities could be responsible if the young Uyghurs are persecuted. Prepared by: Abdulrakhim Aitbayev (rakhim@lochbrandy.mines.edu) WUNN newsletter index*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= 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. *=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= EASTERN TURKISTAN INFORMATION CENTER |