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YES WE
ARE Not :"Terrorism" But
WE :
"Fight Against Oppression!"
The Xinghua
Chinese News Agency issued a press release on December 21st,
2001, titled "The Eastern Turkistan terrorists will not
escape justice".
The statement
concentrates on three main issues: "History of the
Eastern Turkistan problem", "Terrorist crime committed by
Eastern
Turkistan terrorist groups" and "Links between the Eastern
Turkistan
terrorist organizations and the global terrorism". The
statement
outlines that "so-called Eastern Turkistan terrorist groups
committed
acts of grave crime over the last ten years".
The press release eventually accuses the Eastern Turkistan
liberation
organizations of having close ties with Osama Bin Laden and
his
international terrorist network.
We, the
representatives of the Eastern Turkistanis in exile and the
members of all Eastern Turkistan human rights groups,
strongly deny
all Chinese accusations made in the above-mentioned report.
We view such statements made in the Chinese media as a
deliberate
attempt to portray Uyghurs and their liberation movement
abroad as
terrorist groups in the eyes of the world community.
The Xinghua
Chinese News Agency outlined in its report that "there is
no historical ground whatsoever for [calling this region]
Eastern
Turkistan. The foreign invaders used this term in the 19th
century
in an attempt to split our Motherland. Xinjiang is a an
inseparable
part of our nation."
Anyone who
has at least some basic knowledge of the Central Asia's
history would know for sure that the Uyghurs, one of the
most ancient
Turkic ethnic groups, have lived in Eastern Turkistan for
more than
one thousand years. Uyghurs together with Uzbeks, Kazakhs
and other
Turkic people refer to their language as to "Turkic";
equally they
define their identity as "Turkic". Over centuries the Arabs,
Persians and other neighbors called this region Eastern
Turkistan.
The Western Orientalists defined the Uyghurs' territory in
19th
century as Eastern Turkistan. This term has long been
accepted as a
proper geographic reference and as an official name of the
region
among the locals and the world community. "Eastern
Turkistan" is the
name by which our Motherland has been known worldwide; this
the name
of our sacred land!
We would like
to stress out that the term Xinjiang used by the
Chinese invaders serves as a clear evidence of the Chinese
occupation
and oppression. "Xinjiang" means in the Chinese language "a
new
border, new territory". "New territory" for invaders - this
is an
ample example of the typical colonial attitudes. The name
Xinjiang
was made up by the Chinese aggressors; it never was accepted
by the
people of East Turkistan!
In its report
the Chinese media center once again made lies stating
that "Xinjiang was a part of our country since 60 B.D". It
is true
that this territory was occupied for the first time by the
Chinese in
60 B.D. But a colonization and oppression does not signify
"uniting
the country".
The Chinese daydream when they say that this "territory was
always a
part of our country". The Chinese occupied at that time a
certain
part of the world named Turkistan which also included
territories of
present independent states of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and
Kazakhstan.
However, even though the Chinese once occupied the ancient
Turkistan
nowadays they do not raise any territorial claims to the new
independent countries. The Chinese know very well that doing
so
would be extremely stupid of them!
The Chinese
occupants have used various dirty strategies for a long
time, such policies are ultimately aimed at falsifying
historical
facts. All Chinese propaganda related to the Eastern
Turkistan'
issues is nothing but gross lies.
Not
"Terrorism" But Fight Against Oppression!
The Xinghua
Chinese News Agency's statement poses a question in its
second part:
" Which terrorist acts the Eastern Turkistan terrorists
carried
out?". The report labels all existing Eastern Turkistan
organizations and associations as illegal terrorist groups.
Moreover, the movement of civil disobedience and human right
activist
protests in Eastern Turkistan are portrayed as "terrorist
activities".
Every civil
movement has reasons for establishment and declares its
ultimate objectives. The Eastern Turkistan liberation
movement cannot
be viewed under any circumstances as " the terrorist
organization of
external and internal enemies who try to split China", as
the Chinese
communist regime pretends to depict it.
The Eastern Turkistan liberation movement is actually an
organized
way of resisting the brutal Chinese oppression. This
movement aims at
establishing the independent state and struggles for the
protection
of the human rights. The Eastern Turkistan liberation
movement is not
a "terrorist force" as the Chines claim it to be; it is
rather a
unity of the best representatives of the Eastern Turkistan
nation who
would sacrifice their lives for liberty and independence of
their
Motherland!
The Eastern
Turkistan people have suffered severely during the last
200 years of the Chinese occupation. The Eastern Turkistanis
suffered
a tremendous oppression under the Imperial Chinese ruling in
the
past; and they have suffered even more under the present
Communist
regime. Only within the short period between 1950 and 1980
more than
500 thousand Uyghurs were imprisoned, tortured and murdered
on
charges of involvement in " nationalist separatist
activities,
illegal religious activities, attempts to split the country"
and so
forth. From 1990 until presently over 2 thousand Uyghurs
were
sentenced to death on the similar charges; and they all were
executed
the same day their verdicts were announced.
Roughly 100
thousand people are detained presently. During last
three months after the September 11 events over 3 thousand
religious
clerics were detained; more than 20 among them were executed
immediately after their verdicts were announced.
It is the
Communist Chinese government which is a real terrorist
organization.
It is only
natural for people to resist oppression. The Uyghur people
realize that gaining true liberty is not possible without
gaining
real independence. The oppressed nation does have the
natural right
for resistance! The Uyghur people raised over 500 rebellions
against
the aggressors within the last 200 years of the Chinese
occupation.
Just in the last century the Uyghurs succeeded twice in
proclaiming
national independence and in establishing the Eastern
Turkistan
Republic -- in 1933 and in 1949. However, due to various
reasons
Uyghurs lost their independence and freedom to the Chinese
invaders.
Over the last fifty years of the Chinese invasion the Uyghur
national
liberation movement has never ceased fighting for freedom.
The
intensified struggle for the national liberation is not
"sponsored by
foreign enemies." Neither the liberation movement is an
Islamic
fundamentalist organization. These lies are all made up by
the
Chinese Communist propaganda in order to deceive the public
opinion.
The struggle for Uyghur liberation has been going on for
over 100
years now and it will continue until the full victory.
The Xinghua
Chinese News Agency especially mention the program and
activities of two parties -- "Islamic Party of Reforms" and
"Allah's
Eastern Turkistan Party". Xinghua associates these parties
with
other Eastern Turkistan liberation organizations and claims
that all
anti-Chinese fighters are essentially terrorists.
Once again we
would like to stress out that presently there are more
than twenty Uyghur organizations worldwide. They all have
different
programs and use different strategies in their activities.
The main recognized Uyghur organizations in exile are
"Eastern
Turkistan/ Uyghuristan/ National Congress", "European
Eastern
Turkistan Unity", "Eastern Turkistan Informational Center",
and the
"Uyghur's Youth World Congress". These main Uyghur parties
base
their activities on peaceful political fight for liberation,
advocacy
of freedom and tolerance, recognition of only political and
civilized
solutions to the issue of Eastern Turkistan liberation.
Presently no forms of free political organization or mass
protest
against the government are possible in Eastern Turkistan and
overall
in China. It is easy to understand why some people turn to
the
armed resistance. Struggle for liberation has many tactics;
undoubtedly the oppressed people have the right of choosing
the form
of resistance. For example, the Chinese authorities mention
"
terrorist attacks" in 1995 and 1996 in Qashgar when the
clerics of
Heyitkah and Qawultoga mosques were killed. These
assassinations were
organized and carried out by the members of the above
mentioned
organization. The interesting side of this story is that the
assassins and their victims were all of the Uyghur origin.
We should
ask ourselves: why would an Uyghur kill another Uyghur?
Assassinated
clerics actually were loyal to the Chinese government, they
betrayed
innocent Uyghurs and charged them with political crimes in
order to
gain benefits from their Chinese masters. So it is quite
understandable that some Uyghur organizations attacked the
national
traitors in Eastern Turkistan in order to encourage
population for
resistance. Such fight is another way of national
resistance.
In its report
the Xinghua Chinese News Agency mentioned famous
events of the 1990 in Barin, February 5th 1997 in Ghuldja
and 1999 in
Hotan. Xinghua especially points out that 'such gross
actions were
planned, organized and carried out by the terrorist Eastern
Turkistan
groups". The protesters were in fact ordinary citizens who
did even
not know the terms "terrorists", "terrorist organization"
used by
the Chinese propaganda. These protesters only fought against
the
brutal Chinese rule.
This report
states that " the Eastern Turkistan groups have close
links with international terrorism" and that " the Eastern
Turkistan
Islamic Movement has close ties with Osama bin Laden who
provided
them with financial aid." It is true that some Uyghurs fled
in
1990's to Afghanistan seeking refuge. They received military
training there; however, it is not clear at all how close
were the
links between Osama bin Laden and "the Eastern Turkistan
Islamic
Movement". Even if such links really existed there is no
reason to
label all acting Eastern Turkistan liberation organizations
as
"terrorist groups". The Chinese media illogically attempts
to charge
all Uyghur organizations with the alleged wrongdoings of the
single
non-representative group. This organization is not a leading
member
of Eastern Turkistan liberation movement. It does not belong
to
major liberation organizations and associations. The
"Eastern
Turkistan Islamic Movement" represents only itself. It is
responsible for its actions, under any conditions it cannot
be
presented as the general Uyghur national liberation movement
force.
One should
keep in mind that the armed resistance in Eastern
Turkistan began in 1980's and continued in 1990's. For
instance, In
April of 1990 in Barin region large groups of protesters
rebelled
against the Chinese rule. They had no arms at all and fought
with
sticks and stones in their hands against the regular
military and
police forces. At that time the Taliban movement did not
exist on
Earth and literally a few number of people heard about a
person
called Osama bin Laden.
Today the
Taliban regime is overthrown and notorious bin Laden is
hiding from the international justice. But the struggle for
Eastern
Turkistan's independence is continuing. This struggle has
nothing in
common with Islamist radicals, bin Laden, and generally with
terrorists of all kinds. This just fight for Uyghur national
liberation will not cease until the full victory since it is
not
sponsored from abroad and since it draws sources from the
Eastern
Turkistan people and their =
immense will and desire for freedom
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