|
China Protests
Establishment of Uighur Government-in-Exile in
Washington
Luis Ramirez
Beijing
21 Sep 2004, 11:57 UTC
China has protested to the United States after members
of China's Uighur minority group announced the
creation of a government in exile in Washington.
Chinese officials blasted the United States following
reports that the group headed by Uighur emigrants had
announced their government in exile at the U.S.
Capitol building in Washington.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said
China considers a number of Uighur separatists, who
refer to their homeland as East Turkistan, as
terrorists. The mostly Muslim Uighurs are the dominant
ethnic group in China's western region of Xinjiang.
Mr. Kong says Beijing is firmly opposed to the Uighur
separatists' announcement in Washington. He says
Chinese officials have made representations to the
United States and he says China hopes U.S. authorities
will treat Beijing's concerns seriously.
There was no immediate reaction from U.S. officials
regarding China's protests.
The head of the government in exile is Anwar Yusuf
Turani, who heads a Uighur separatist group known as
the East Turkistan National Freedom Center.
The United States has placed one Uighur group, the
East Turkestan Islamic Movement, on its list of
terrorist organizations. Beijing considers some other
Uighur groups to be terrorist organizations.
The East Turkistan National Freedom Center, however,
is not on either country's list. The group says its
main purpose is to divulge information about
conditions in Xinjiang, which also is home to ethnic
Kazakh and Kyrgyz populations, as well as many ethnic
Han Chinese.
Uighur groups have been the most vocal in pushing for
independence for the region, and the demands have been
stepped up since the September 11 terrorist attacks on
the United States. Many Uighur activists accuse
Beijing authorities of using an anti-terrorist
campaign as an excuse to crack down on dissidents.
|
