History
OF East Turkistan
: By Anwar
Yusuf
The largest ethnic group in Eastern Turkistan are, as
noted, the Uighurs -- a Turkic people whose history reaches
back more than 2,000 years. During the eigth and ninth
centuries the Uighur Empire dominated the Mongolia steppe.
Eventually, after their defeat in 840 A.D. by the Kirghiz, the
Uighurs moved south -- settling in Eastern Turkistan and
becoming part of the Turkic Karakhanid Empire. (Other Uighurs
settled in what is now China's Gansu province. Though they
speak Chinese, they still see themselves as descending from
the Uighur people.)The Mongol Empire swept into Eastern
Turkistan early in the 13th century, and for the next 500
years Eastern Turkistan was part of what became know as the
Turkic - Mongol Empire. One of the striking aspects of this
period was the extent to which the Mongols adopted Turkic
culture: militarily triumphant they rapidly became
assimiliated.
The Manchus, having conquered China,
invaded Eastern Turkistan in 1759, dominating it until 1862.
During this period the Turkic people of Eastern Turkistan
rebelled 42 times. In 1863, with the help of the Ottoman
Empire, Eastern Turkistanis expelled the Manchus, founding the
independent state of Eastern Turkistan. The new state
established diplomatic relations with the Ottoman, British and
Russian Empires; however, the maneuverings among the Great
Powers led to a new Chinese invasion in 1876 -- this time with
the support of the British who feared the expansion of Russia.
China regained control of Eastern Turkistan the next year and
formally annexed the province in 1884 -- giving it the name
Xinjiang.
Nationalist Chinese, under the
leadership of Sun Yat Sen, overthrew the Manchu Empire in
1911, establishing the Republic of China. Encouraged by the
turmoil inside China, Eastern Turkistanis again rebelled. In
1933 they were able, briefly, to establish an independent
Eastern Turkistan Islamic Republic headquartered in the city
of Kashgar. In 1944, their rebellion had greater permanence:
the Eastern Turkistan Republic set up in that year in three of
the provinces districts (centered on the Ili Valley) lasted
until 1949 when the Soviet Union supported the newly
victorious Communist rulers of China in reacquiring total
control.
In 1955, Beijing renamed the province
Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
.jpg)
A History of
Repression
Resistance to Chinese rule has been a
basic reality in Eastern Turkistan for more than two
centuries. Equally basic has been Chinese repression which has
taken numerous forms.
Reflecting their success in other parts
of their empire, China has pursued a policy of "divide and
conquer" in Eastern Turkistan. As the Soviets did throughout
Central Asia so also Chinese authorities have sought to
emphasize the differences found among the Turkic people of
Xinjiang. They sought, and continue to seek, to play Uighurs
against Kazakhs and Kazakhs against Uzbeks. It is a policy
that has had some success, though the Turkic people of the
province have remained far more aware of the many linguistic,
historical, cultural and religious factors they have in
common.
Whether China's central government has
had strong control over the outlying province, or the local
warlord has generally been in charge, the Turkic people have
consistently found themselves to be second class citizens in
their own home. As China has accelerated in recent years the
effort to absorb Eastern Turkistan through the importation of
millions of Han, Turkic people have found themselves losing
more and more ground. The best jobs, schools, and housing go
to Han -- at the expense of the Turkic people.
Repression by force has continued to
the modern day. How many people have died is not clear, but
many who follow this struggle estimate the number to be at
least one million persons since China's reacquisition of total
control in 1949. One half million persons have been driven
into exile. Hundreds of thousand have been arrested with many
sent to prison camps, often never to be heard from
again.
Isolated from the outside world,
Eastern Turkistan has become China's dumping ground. Numerous
laogai facilities have been set up to hold thousands of
"criminals" not only from the province but also from around
China. The goods produced by prison labor are often exported
for profit.
The use of Eastern Turkistan as a
dumping ground has extended to the environment as well. Many
are aware that China's nuclear test facility, Lop Nor, is
located in the province. What they do not realize is the
degree to which Chinese authorities have steadily dumped toxic
nuclear waste in ways that poison the land and water. Eastern
Turkistanis fear that as many as 200,000 people have died as a
result, with many more suffering permanent damage to their
health.
.jpg) Recent
Violence
Three times in the last several years
local resistance to Chinese rule has dramatically escalated
into violent confrontation.
1. Baren -- April 1990.
On April 5, 1990, thousands of armed
Eastern Turkistanis stormed government offices in the town of
Baren, located in the southwestern part of the province, near
Kashgar. They disarmed the local police, occuppied government
offices, and declared the establishment of an Eastern
Turkistan Republic.
Chinese authorities dispatched tens of
thousands of armed police, militia, and Peoples Liberation
Army soldiers the next day. The military response was
substantial and widespread; airports in Kashgar, Urumqi, Aksu,
Hoten and elsewhere were closed. Using tanks and aircraft, the
Chinese reasserted control. There were numerous casualties on
both sides. On April 8, martial law was declared. Thousands of
local residents were arrested.
2. Khotan -- July 1995.
Early on the afternoon of Friday, July
7, 1995, thousands of Muslim worshippers mounted a sudden
protest in front of the local government building in Khotan,
an oasis city located in the southwestern part of the
Taklmakan desert. The worshippers had, as always, assembled at
a local mosque for the noon service only to learn at that time
of the arrest of Iman Abdul Qayyum. In what appears to have
been a spontaneous reaction, thousands of Muslims marched on
the government adminsitrative offices to demand his
release.
Chinese authorities, using more than
400 soldiers, put down the protest quickly and violently. The
official local newpaper reported that the disturbance lasted
80 minutes and that Muslims had wounded 66 Chinese police and
government officials, broke 256 car and building windows, four
aluminum doors, and damaged 22 bicycles and one police
car.
As is clear on video tape of the event
obtained by the Eastern Turkistan Center, the protestors were
non-violent. Chinese soldiers can be clearly seen shooting in
the direction of the protestors. Several persons were killed
with more than 700 wounded. The authorities arrested over
3,000.
Iman Qayyum had been leading services
at the newly built Baytulla Mosque, named after the central
mosque in Mecca. The mosque had become a focal point of
concern for the authorities. Two earlier imans had been
relieved of their posts after expressing resentment of Chinese
rule. All three imans had chosen to conduct prayer in the
Uighur - Turkic language instead of Arabic to make it easier
for citizens to understand. The mosque, moreover, had been
designed to encourage the participation of women, and the Iman
Qayyum's teachings had also drawn women. Their rapidly
increasing number had concerned the authorities who had
attempted more than once to block their entry.
3. Ili -- February 1997.
On the evening of February 4, 1997,
Public Security police forces swept across Muslim sections of
the northestern city of Ili to make numerous arrests. Two days
later hundreds of Muslim young people gathered at various city
locations to protest the arrests and demand the release of
their friends and family.
According to reports by the New York
Times and others, the police responded violently, wading into
the crowds with truncheons and beating the demonstrators. The
crisis escalated rapidly and police used tear gas, water
cannon and live ammunition. Authorities also closed the border
with near-by Kazakhstan for five days.
Violence such as that which occurred in
Ili has been reported elsewhere in Eastern Turkistan over the
last year. Fearing a growing separatist movement, Chinese
authorities mounted a "Strike Hard" policy in April 1996.
Thousands have been arrested with many executed.
TOP
|
