China has vowed a “strike hard” campaign that will root out lawlessness and solve the public security issues in Xinjiang. The People’s Daily was quoted as saying, “From the start of November, public security bodies in Xinjiang will… start a thorough ‘strike hard and punish’ campaign to further consolidate the fruits of maintaining stability and eliminate security dangers.” The report went on to say that the campaign will, “root out places where criminals breed, and change the face of the public security situation in these areas.” We are afraid that this is just another excuse for Chinese authorities to act with no accordance to acceptable practices.
We here at the Uyghur Blog want to take this time to reflect back on what is important, and that is the rights of China’s citizens. Below we’ve attached a recent interview that Rebiya Kadeer did with Catherine Makino in Tokoyo, Japan. Remember that the Uyghurs are not fighting for “freedom,” nor are they the cause of the issues in Xinjiang. The only fight that the Uyghurs take willingly is a fight for normality that does not center on being second-class citizens in a land they’ve occupied for hundreds of years.
Inter Press Service: What have you been able to accomplish for your people?
Rebiya Kadeer: I brought optimism and encouragement to my nation.My people are always worrying about China’s ethnic policy. Many Uyghurs have been killed, and they are anxious about being driven out from their lands. We need one voice, and my voice is my nation’s voice. I travel around world and ask the international community to protect the Uyghurs. I explain our problems to the world.
IPS: But how can your voice be heard when your people cannot reach you by Internet or by phone?
RK: We can’t contact them by international phone or [the] Internet. In fact, more than 1,500 websites have been closed and their members arrested. They hear my words through Radio Free Asia [which also interviewed her in Tokyo]. Some people in Shanghai and Beijing hear my voice and then send it inside Xinjiang.
IPS: What do you hope to achieve in the next few years for your people?
RS: I want the release of 10,000 political prisoners from jail in Xinjiang, and to stop the torture and random killing of the Uyghurs. I want Chinese groups who are roaming the streets killing Uyghurs for no reason to stop. I also want Uyghur women to be returned back to Xinjiang.
IPS: What do you mean when you say Uyghur women should be returned?
RK: China moved more than 300,000 girls between the ages of 14 and 25 outside the Xinjiang province to work and assimilate into Chinese society. Some were sent to factories while beautiful girls were sent to work in hotels and bars. The Chinese government says it’s for economic opportunities, but it’s not true.
The girls are miserable and crying. They don’t have any freedom and have no contact with their families. They are supported [by the government] if they want to marry inside China. Maybe the riots of July 2009 happened because of this policy.
IPS: Are more Han Chinese coming to Xinjiang?
RK: Yes, every day more and more Chinese migrants are coming to live in Xinjiang. They are the ones who reap the economic benefits. I believe there are 20 million people comprised of various ethnic groups living in Xinjiang and 10 million Han Chinese, although the Chinese government denies it. The Chinese government must change their ethnic policy. I hope they will come on the table and talk with us. We want self-determination.
IPS: But the Chinese government alleges you have terrorist links – the reason perhaps why Taiwan refused to give you a visa?
RK: It wasn’t the Taiwanese people, it was some people in their government with ties to the Chinese government – the Chinese told them I was a terrorist. I never ever had any links to terrorism. I am against all terrorists groups.
IPS: Why then are they claiming you are a terrorist?
RK: Because people are listening to my voice and I’m telling them the reality about what’s going on in my country. The Chinese government wants to stop my voice. They can influence other countries by telling them I’m a terrorist. I am a Muslim, so it is easy for them to say I am a terrorist, and maybe some people in other countries will believe it. They also say the Uyghurs are terrorists. More than 10,000 are in jail accused of being terrorists.
IPS: Is that what happened to the author of the short story Wild Pigeon? He was sentenced in 2005 to 10 years in jail for inciting Uyghur separatism.
RK: Yes. Nurmuhemmet Yasin wrote about a young pigeon – the son of a pigeon king trapped and caged by humans when he ventured far from home. In the end, he committed suicide rather than sacrifice his freedom. Yasin wrote about freedom, so the Chinese government put him in prison for talking about it. They branded him a terrorist.
IPS: You used your wealth to provide for your fellow Uyghurs’ education, employment and training through various programs. You ran the 1,000 Families Mothers’ Project that helped women start businesses. Now that you are in exile, what is happening with these programs?
RK: The Chinese government completely destroyed and stopped my programs. Our children can’t study and our people can’t get jobs. I hope [United States] President [Barack] Obama will talk to China about the Uyghur’s problems.
IPS: Since you are living in the US now, are you worried about being assassinated? You were surrounded by heavy security in Japan.
RK: Yes, I worry about my security and I don’t feel safe. In fact, when I was in America, I was involved in a car accident.
IPS: Are you saying the Chinese were responsible for the accident?
RK: Maybe. The Chinese are always giving me trouble. I’m not an enemy of the Chinese people or the government. I am only asking for the Chinese government to give the Uyghurs a chance to live our lives in peace.
IPS: How do you feel about having lost your businesses and living in exile?
RK: I am not sad and I don’t regret anything. I am so happy that I opened the international community to the Uyghur voice.
IPS: Having sacrificed a lot for your people, what else are you willing to do for them?
RK: I hope to travel around the world to explain Uyghurs’ problems, so they will begin to support our issues. I hope the whole world support our people’s rights.
You can see the interview published on Asia Times Online here.
