| An electronic newsletter
Produced by the Eastern
Turkistan Information Center
No: 72
28 December 1997
In this issue
(1) CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S OUTRAGES IN EASTERN TURKISTAN
Dec 23 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
(2) WORLD ISLAMIC UNITY ORGANIZATION ADDRESSES EASTERN TURKISTAN ISSUE
Dec 12 1997, Eastern Turkistan National Center in Istanbul >
(3) EASTERN TURKISTANIS DEMONSTRATE ON THE
WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
Dec 11 1997, Eastern Turkistan National Center in Turkey
(4) TWO UYGHUR POLICEMEN KILLED
Dec 4 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
(5) FOUNDATIONS OF EASTERN TURKISTAN REPUBLICS COMMEMORATED IN ISTANBUL
Nov 20 1997, Eastern Turkistan
National Center >
(6) UYGHUR MUSIC ON NETHERLANDS RADIO
Nov 18 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
(7) LARGE OIL FIELD DISCOVERED IN JUNGAR BASIN
Nov 16 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
(8) POLICE FINDS EXPLOSIVES AND GUNS IN IMAM'S HOUSE
Nov 15 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
(9) HALF A MILLION UYGHURS ARRESTED DURING 1995-1997
Nov 14 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
(10) THE UYGHUR LANGUAGE WILL BE ELIMINATED FROM THE UNIVERSITIES
From a personal letter. Included by the author's consent.
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(1) CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S OUTRAGES IN EASTERN TURKISTAN
Dec 23 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
[ETIC, 12/23/97] On December 23, 1997, 4 Uyghurs from city Shahyar, 3 Uyghurs from city
Kucha and an Uyghur from Toksu county were sentenced to death and shot shortly after by
the Chinese government. They all were accused in involvement in the separatist activities
in Eastern Turkistan.
It is reported that, on December 19, an Uyghur man from Eastern Turkistan visiting Beijing
on a business trip was roughly stopped and searched by the Chinese police. Having
emptied the man's bags on the ground, the police found nothing illegal, and had to release
him. On the man's question "Why do you treat us, the people from Xinjiang, this
way?", the policeman insolently answered "Because you are the Han people's
enemies".
In the beginning of November, the Chinese armed police arrested 45 people in Kucha
accusing them in the illegal activities by being involved in the anti-government
organization called "The party of Allah". At present, the police is
actively searching for the other members of the party.
It is reported that nowadays, in the southern Eastern Turkistan, the Uyghur children
suspected in praying Namaz are immediately suspended or even expelled from the schools.
The demonstration of the Uyghur youths on February 5 in Ghulja was quickly denounced by
the Chinese government as anti-government and counter-revolutionary. After brutal
suppression of the demonstrators, several special political campaigns against separatism
and "illegal" religious activities have been launched in Eastern Turkistan
targeting the Uyghurs only. In particular, the government ordered to include
questions on the Ili events in the exams for middle and high school students that require
resolutely denounce those who participated in the demonstration. [Kiyan]
(2) WORLD ISLAMIC UNITY ORGANIZATION ADDRESSES EASTERN TURKISTAN ISSUE
Dec 12 1997, Eastern Turkistan National Center in Istanbul
The 35th conference of the World Islamic Unity organization was held in Mecca, Saudi
Arabia, from December 6 to 10. It is reported that the issue of persecutions of
Muslims in Eastern Turkistan was addressed on the conference. General Muhammed Riza Bekin,
the head of the Eastern Turkistan Center in Turkey, gave a speech on the conference on
religious and ethnic persecutions of the Uyghurs in Eastern Turkistan. The conference
adopted a resolution on Eastern Turkistan. After the conference, General Riza Bekin
had talks with the Eastern Turkistan refugees in Saudi Arabia on establishing a single
organization that will unite the Eastern Turkistanis around the world.
(3) EASTERN TURKISTANIS DEMONSTRATE ON THE WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
Dec 11 1997, Eastern Turkistan National Center in Turkey
On December 10, the World Human Rights Day, the Eastern Turkistanis demonstrated on the
Taksim square in Istanbul, and laid flowers on the Heros Monument. After the rally,
the demonstrators organized a conference in the Tariq Zafar Tunya Madaniyet center
exposing human rights violations in Eastern Turkistan.
(4) TWO UYGHUR POLICEMEN KILLED
Dec 4 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
[ETIC,12/4/1997] On December 1, 2 pro-government Uyghur policemen were killed in Avat,
Aksu. It was reported that they were actively involved in arresting Uyghurs
suspected in activities to establish an independent Eastern Turkistan. According to
a recent report by the official Urumchi Evening News newspaper, the Chinese government
re-launched in Eastern Turkistan a campaign called "Winter Hard Strike" to fight
crime in the region. In fact, the main targets of the Strike Hard campaign in Eastern
Turkistan are the pro independence movement and unofficial religious activities. It is
reported that, all over China, the Chinese police frequently and arbitrarily stops the
Uyghurs and requests to present personal identification cards. Those without cards are
detained until their identity is proved. [Abduljelil Karakash]
(5) FOUNDATIONS OF EASTERN TURKISTAN REPUBLICS COMMEMORATED IN ISTANBUL
Nov 20 1997, Eastern Turkistan National Center
On November 16, 1997, the Eastern Turkistan National Center in Istanbul commemorated
foundations of the Islamic Republic of East Turkistan (Kashgar, 1933-1934) and the East
Turkistan Republic (Ghulja, 1944-1949). General Muhammed Riza Bekin opened the
meeting with a speech. About 200 people attended the commemoration, and discussed
the current situation and the future of Eastern Turkistan. On November 19, the
Marmara University Professors Club and the Eastern Turkistan Association organized a
conference "Eastern Turkistan is the shame of humanity". The participants
of the conference stressed continuing human rights violations in Eastern Turkistan and the
ethnic oppression of the Uyghur people by the communist Chinese government.
(6) UYGHUR MUSIC ON NETHERLANDS RADIO
Nov 18 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
[ETIC, 11/18/97] On November 17, VPRO radio station in Netherlands broadcasted from 6:00
p.m. to 7:00 p.m. a program devoted to the music and songs of the Uyghur people. The
Uyghur music and songs were performed by Kamil Abbas. Lyrics of the Uyghur songs were
highly praised in the program. Also in the program, the name Eastern Turkistan was used
instead of an official name the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and it was stressed
that the name Eastern Turkistan is prohibited in China. It was said that the Uyghur
people, which is the indigenous people of Eastern Turkistan, are fighting, like the
Tibetans, for their freedom and independence from China. [Mehmet Tutunci, Netherlands]
(7) LARGE OIL FIELD DISCOVERED IN JUNGAR BASIN
Nov 16 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
[ETIC, 11/16/1997] It was reported by the Urumchi Evening News newspaper, that
Xinjiang Petroleum Company (XPC) announced discovery of a new oil field in the Jungar
Basin of Eastern Turkistan. The field is located at the center of the Kurbantonggut desert
about 150 km (95 miles) from city Karamay, and is estimated to contain about 100 million
tons of oil. Between March 1996 and July 1997, XPC drilled 4 wells in this region,
and each well produced a high quantity oil. The new oil field was named North
Western.
(8) POLICE FINDS EXPLOSIVES AND GUNS IN IMAM'S HOUSE
Nov 15 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
[ETIC, 11/15/97] In August, the Chinese people's armed police searched houses for fire
arms and explosives in the villages of the Poskam county. In one village, 60 modern
guns were found in a widow's house, and 2 tonnes of explosives were found in an imam's
house. The imam denyed all charges. He and 15 of his students were arrested.
Three of the students resisted police arrests, but were wounded and detained. The
students were residents of Aktam and Koybag of the Yarkand prefecture and Khotan. The
police has not released any information on whereabouts of the arrested since their
detention. [Burkut]
(9) HALF A MILLION UYGHURS ARRESTED DURING 1995-1997
Nov 14 1997, Eastern Turkistan Information Center
[ETIC, 11/14/97] According to the information obtained from a police officer, about 560
thousand Uyghurs have been arrested with charges in separatist activities in Eastern
Turkistan in the last 3 years. Most of them were locked up in the prisons without
trials for many days and months.
During this period, the Chinese communist regime has publicly executed 300 political
prisoners in Eastern Turkistan. At least 7 thousand were sentenced to 15 and more
years in prison. More than 5 thousand died in prisons, and it is most likely that
they were tortured to death.
The number in the Yarkand county alone, with the total population about half a million,
has topped 30 thousand. On September 15 this year, authorities ordered all the
government employees, schools children, police officers, hospital doctors, workers,
business people and farmers to attend an open trial in the Yarkand county. At the
trial, 2 men were accused in separatism and sentenced to death in front of 50
thousand people. Another 5 men of ages from 16 to 25 were given sentences ranging from 15
years in prison to 2 years delayed execution.
This year, more than 10 thousand people were arrested in Kashgar shortly before July 1,
the national holiday in the People's Republic celebrating foundation of the Chinese
Communist Party. The majority of them were detained for not carring identification
cards or for sharing the same names with the alleged criminals on the loose. The
authorities have been asking exorbitant amounts of money from the relatives for releasing
the arrested on bails.
It was reported that many Uyghurs, who were sentenced for illegal religious and
counter-revolutionary activities in Eastern Turkistan, and who finished their prison
terms, have again been arrested without any reason by the Chinese police. On August 1, 30
suspects of Uyghur nationality were arrested after an explosion took place in the Tokhsu
county. Among them there were Abdukerim, Ibrahim and Jamal, all released from
prisons not so long ago.
The Chinese government blames rising pro-independence activities in Eastern Turkistan on
Islamic students, talips, and has arrested thousands of them. The government has
been strengthening the Strike Hard campaign to eliminate involvement of young Uyghurs in
religious activities. It is reported that many Uyghurs were accused in nationalism
and arrested only for wearing ethnic scullcaps called doppa. [Burkut, Kiyan]
(10) THE UYGHUR LANGUAGE WILL BE ELIMINATED FROM THE UNIVERSITIES
From a personal letter. Included by the author's consent.
In Urumchi experimental middle-high school (Xi-yan Zhong-Xue), one of the top rated middle
and high school in Xinjiang, had reported its 6 years old experiment of opening a class of
40 Uyghur students where all the science classes are taught in Chinese. In 1996 the Uyghur
students graduated from that experimental class were accepted by the most prestiges
universities in China (Chin Hua Da Xue, Beijing Daxue, etc.).
In 1993, Li Ru-Zhong, the president of the Xinjiang College of Business and Finance in
Urumchi (Chai-Jing Xuo-Yuan), ordered all the Uyghur teachers to learn Chinese language
within 3 years, so they are able to teach the Uyghur students in their classes in Chinese,
or to lose their jobs. In the result nowadays, all the classes in the college are taught
in Chinese, and many Uyghur instructors have been disqualified from their positions, or
even lost their jobs.
It is obvious that a tricky game is played by the officials in order to promote this
dubious experiment. Now there are even more Uyghur students participating in similar
experiments. The officials of the Xinjiang government announced that, by the year
2000, all the science classes in the middle schools, high schools, colleges and
universities in Xinjiang will be taught only in Chinese. Also, the Uyghur children
will begin their study of the Chinese language from a third grade in elementary schools.
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 E-mail: etic@uygur.com
Fax: 49-89-54 45 63 30 Phone: 49-89-54 40 47 72 |