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20/07/2011 | China - More violence in China's western Xinjiang region

Radio Australia - Staff

Bloody clashes in China's troubled western region of Xinjiang have claimed at least 20 lives.It was the worst violence in about a year between the ethnic Muslim Uighers and Chinese authorities.

 

But as in all incidents in this area both sides are blaming the other for the outbreak of violence.

Correspondent: Kanaha Sabapathy

Speakers: Colin Mackerras, Professor Emeritus at Griffith University; Dokum Isa, Secretary General, World Uigher Congress based in Germany

SABAPATHY: The clash happened on monday when a group of Uigher demonstraters, seeking information about friends and relatives who had been detained recently met resistance from authorities when they tried to enter the police station in Hotan

Xinhua news agency reports that armed police shot several of the demonstrators only after they had killed a policeman, a security guard and two hostages.

Chinese authorities described the incident as an organised, premeditated terrorist attack on local political departments and claim that the demonstrators had come prepared with arms, knives, molotov cocktails and explosive devices.

ISA: All chinese government never issue the true situation. Chinese government always accuse the people of any kind of Uigher activities as terrorist activities.

It's a claim denied by Dokum Isa, secretary general of the World Uigher Congress based in Germany.

SABAPATHY: Control of oil, gas and coal rich Xinjiang province is important to Beijing but it has always faced resistance from the native Turkic speaking Muslim Uigher people who say they are being discriminated against.

Dokum Isa says the events of September 11th 2001 gave Beijing the oppurtunity to label them as terrorists.

ISA: Before september 11th Chinese government called most of Uigher activities as just separatism, separate activities or religious activities. But on september 11th, in one night we have become terrorists.

SABAPATHY: Dokum Isa says although the Chinese have brought in oil companies to exploit the resources in the region unemployment among qualified Uighers remains very high.

ISA: Alot of young guy no job. However Chinese government transferred alot of Han Chinese and provide job for them. Alot of oil companies open petrol industry in this area. Ninety nine percent employment, employer worker are Han Chinese transferred from China. Economic discrimination, political discrimination very high that's why there is alot of problem between the Han Chinese and the Uigher people.

SABAPATHY: Han Chinese presence in Xinjiang has increased from 4 percent in 1949 to over 40 percent today.

China has pumped in money to develop the region but Colin Mackerras Professor Emeritus at Australia's Griffith University says it has done so with little cultural sensitivity.

MACKERRAS: When they modernise which they are doing and that's a good thing, I think they should be much more careful that they are being sensitive about the local people's culture.

SABAPATHY: China fears that Hotan which is close to the Pakistan border may be prone to the influence of terrorist groups like the East Turkistan Islamic Movement who would use Islam to instigate separatist activities and violence in Xinjiang.

Professor Mackerras says its difficult to confirm if Uighers are involved in terrorist groups but he says overreaction by both sides to such claims only heightens tension in the province.

MACKERRAS: What I can say is that I think they do exist and the chinese overreact towards them and that makes the situation worse and I think the Uighers also react, alot of them, I don't say all of them by any means because the majority want to have a peaceful and stable life. The fact is that each overreacts towards what the other does and thinks and that makes the situation more tense.

I mean as far as the question of tension is concerned I'm sure the riots that happened on July 2009 just made the situation worse. I mean the Chinese government's response has first of all been to suppress it and secondly to try and improve the standard of living and that's good to improve the standard of living, but I think they should be more sensitive about the way that the Uighers want their standard of living increased and to have more respect and sensitivity towards their culture.







Radio Australia (Australia)

 


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