Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Ethnic Conflict and Natural Resources Xinjiang, China




I. CASE BACKGROUND


1. Abstract

The Muslim Uyghurs are an ethnic minority in Xinjiang, the most western province of China. Particularly since the Communist takeover of the region in 1949, the Uyghurs have experienced religious and cultural persecution by the Han Chinese. With the discovery of oil and other natural resources in the region, the Han Chinese are now flooding into the region in an effort to exploit the resources.


This influx of people has intensified the already tenuous relationship between the Han Chinese and the Uyghurs over their religious, cultural and social differences. Furthermore, the influx of people has lead to not only the extraction of resources but the over-cultivation of land and over-use of precious water resources in the area. As a result, the Uyghurs have strengthened their own campaign, sometimes resorting to violence, in an effort to reclaim their land to halt the religious and political persecution and, in extremist cases, to establish their own, independent Uyghur state.



Street Market Urumqi, China




Muslim Mosque Urumqi, China




2. Description
Along with cultural and political repression, the fight for oil is contributing to the repression of economic progress in the region as well. In order to understand the importance or the magnitude of the struggle for resources, it is important to understand the political and cultural struggles that have come before. The environmental aspect of the struggle between the Uyghurs and the Han Chinese is not only a cause of recent conflict but is also a contributing factor in the ongoing conflict which has existed for many years. The conflict in Western China is also unique in that the environmental aspect, as said before, exists both in the natural resources at stake and in the strategic geographic location of the region. The growing importance of its geographical position (it is important to note) is related to the development of neighboring nations and economies within the region. The development of the Central Asian states and the sympathetic Uyghur populations located within those states may prove to be a problem for Chinese control as they may encourage or even assist in the drive for an independent Uyghur nation in the future.


Historical Relationship
Throughout various periods in history, the Uyghurs have experienced tastes of independence, the independent republic of East Turkistan, for a short time. However the Han insist that the same area was in fact settled by the Chinese over 2,000 years ago. As a result of the historical disparities, disagreements and hostilities over economic, political and cultural issues have plagued the region up through its modern history.


Though the ethnic origin of the Uyghurs has been traced to the Uyghur Empire in Northwestern Mongolia (744-840 C.E.) it is believed that the modern Uyghurs have only existed since the mid-1930s (when the Chinese government defined the modern Uyghurs as ‘oasis-dwelling Muslims of Xinjiang’s Tarim Basin). That from 1450-1935 the term ‘Uyghur’ essentially went ‘unused’ does not mean that the people disappeared. In 1931 the Chinese government attempted to manipulate the hereditary leadership in Xinjiang (oasis of Hami) and ethnic turmoil ensued. This violence was the beginning of the Uyghurs modern struggle for independence. They found themselves in opposition to the Han and the Tungans (Hui people) (as the Tungans, from a Uyghur standpoint, had allied with the Han though they were, in fact, Muslim). Until 1949, Xinjiang managed to remain relatively independent from central authorities in China (instead the Uyghurs were more influenced by the civilizations on China’s Western border, i.e. Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, etc.). (Rudelson, Oasis Identities)


Xinjiang builds ties with outside world, the Chinese becomes uneasy
As transportation and communication abilities increased, barriers to integration deteriorated. Furthermore, as the Soviet Union began to make agreements with warlords in Xinjiang to exploit the area’s natural resources, the Chinese government realized they needed to manipulate the geographical situation to favor their own interests. To take away trade routes from the Soviet Union, the city of Urumqi was made a transportation hub and the Han have been pouring into the region in search of agricultural and economic opportunities since. Ethnic friction has continued to intensify as more and more Han move into the region usurping Uyghur autonomy.

Oil exploration officially began in 1951 with the drilling of the first well in 1955. Coincidentally, the first major incident of resistance occurred in 1954, the Khotan rising in Southern Xinjiang. In 1962 a mass exodus of Kazakhs and others westward was the result of a rationing of resources (specifically the grain rationing system). Han Chinese immigration and competition resulted in scarcities of agricultural land, water and pastures. Uyghur opposition grew increasingly more overt and nationalistic throughout the 1980s as the repressive atmosphere of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1977) began to wither (Rudelson, Oasis Identities).


With the discovery of large reserves of strategic natural resources in the area, specifically oil and natural gas, tensions have grown increasingly complex and more violent. Not only do the natural resource demands represent another way for the Han Chinese to exploit the people of Xinjiang in order to support the further economic development of Eastern China, Xinjiang also holds much value as a border province, or a link with the relatively newly ‘opened’ Central Asian (formerly Russian) states. Xinjiang is expected to replace northeast China as the new supplier of energy resources, mainly oil and natural gas (and some coal, too). For example, in early 2005, construction began on an oil pipeline between Kazakhstan and Western China (Dillon)


Post-cultural revolution: ethnic conflict erupts as need for scarce natural resources intensifies
February, 1997: Yining/Ghulja, Xinjiang
Chinese security officials acted with force to suppress what had been a peaceful pro-independence demonstration in Yining (a small city about 30 miles from the China-Kazakhstan border). Uyghurs contend that the Han Chinese were simply looking to exploit Xinjiang’s natural resources. Two days of riots followed. Though reports differ, it is believed that at least nine people were killed and hundreds more were injured. One month after this outbreak of violence separatists responded by detonating bombs on two public buses in Urumqi.

By January, 2000 China had launched the “Go West” policy indicating that there is more at stake than merely increasing growth in Western China. Not only are there interests in Xinjiang for its natural resources but also, by extracting the natural resources from the area as an economic commodity, they (China) are in a sense taking away Uyghur livelihood and their (Uyghur) means to live. This results in two situations: first, the Uyghurs are left to flounder in a ‘backwards’ society, isolated from the rest of the world with no means to overcome the geographical and economic factors separating them. Secondly, as they are further marginalized, the Uyghurs naturally become increasingly discontent and perhaps leads to an increase in separatist/extremists mentalities.


3. Duration
Begin: Early 1950 (1955- Xinjiang was officially labeled an autonomous region of China.)


End: Present As China’s interest in developing strategic relationships with central Asian states continues (evidence in the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.) the region of Xinjiang will continue to be important both as a border region (for security measures) and as a viable source of energy.


Over the last half of the 20th century several violent incidents have occurred. In the late 1990s and particularly in the aftermath of September 11th, the boundaries of the ethnic conflict and natural resources have grown beyond Urumqi, Xinjiang and the violence has now spread to cities like Beijing where deadly bombings were carried out in late 1997 (Dillon, 100).


The Uyghur conflict has also spread internationally. For example, in October 2002, China’s Deputy Prime Minister claimed the U.S. government detained at least 12 Uyghurs at Guatanamo Bay for possible connections with terrorist networks. Though any terrorist connections have yet to be proven, if the Uyghurs are returned to China they will almost certainly face brutal interrogations and incarceration regardless. While the U.S. State Department has issued reports condemning China for its harsh treatment of accused separatists, they have also praised China on joining the West in the war on terrorism (Starr). The increasingly vocal Chinese dissidents or separatists (i.e. Uyghurs) may hurt China’s economic relationships as well. For example, Kazakhstan’s president has stated his opposition to any organization advocating separatism in China using Kazakh territory. China’s economic relationships, with neighboring nations, depends on China’s ability to reign in the ‘wild west of China’ and maintain control over the ‘violent separatists’.



courtesy of University of Texas Libraries
4. Location: East Asia: China
Western China: Xinjiang Province, and the Central Asian States: Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The actual conflict has occurred in (what is considered) China, although scuffles have broken out near or on the Western border mainly with Kazakhstan but also Kyrgystan and Tajikistan as well. Also, it is important to remember that in discussing the connection between Chinese economic interests and the war on terror, Afghanistan does share a small border with Western China.

5. Actors: Han Chinese, People's Republic of China, Ethnic Uyghur People

Actors
Sovereign Actors: Government of the People’s Republic of China, Han Chinese citizens

Non-Sovereign Actors: Uyghur people (of Turkic Muslim descent) While the Chinese claim the Uyghurs are part of China, the Uyghurs consider themselves a separate national identity

II. Environment Aspects
6. Type of Environmental Problem: Resource Rights: Oil
Source Problem
Looking at direct causal linkages, the environmental conflict present alongside the ethnic conflict taking place in Xinjiang is a problem of source. The negative impacts of the repeated and invasive search for oil are only compounded by the fact that the benefits the area could potentially hope to see are lost as the oil is taken out of the region and devoted to development of eastern China. What makes the sacrifice of ethnic culture, language and political autonomy in the pursuit of economic development seem perhaps more in vain is the fact that China, with 9% economic growth yearly and the world’s second largest consumer of oil, China has also continued to develop oil projects outside its national borders in order to satisfy a need which may increase by as much as 7% this year over last(1). When 40% of China’s oil comes from imports and China is making deals to develop oil fields in Iran, why has the region of Xinjiang been so exploited when, according to some analysts, the actual amount of oil in the area is far less than originally claimed, and far less than could be found else where?


According to the list of potential source problems, this case study could be placed under habitat loss for the simple reason that the extracting of oil is compromising or even destroying the Uyghurs’ livelihood and essentially their living conditions. Beyond that, however, if given the choice, I would categorize this study simple as ‘oil’. That simple term encompasses not only the desire for oil but also the side effects that come with it. In China, economic growth is at the forefront of most policy decisions and as such, the search for oil, a driving force behind economic growth, is placed above environmental concerns or implementation of environmental protections. The oil that is exploited from the region serves to fuel environmental degradation in other, more developed, parts of China.


(1)China-Iran Energy Talks Complicate Nuclear Standoff. The Wall Street Journal. February 17, 2006.

7. Type of Habitat: Dry
Dry, Cool (Winter) Hot (Summer) Desolate peaks vs. Arable Land

Xinjiang is a remote province and sparsely populated. It is made up of vast deserts which contribute to a climate of very cold winters and very hot summers. It’s an area of low humidity with more consistent patterns of rain as opposed to a concentrated rainy season.
Xinjiang accounts for more than one sixth of China’s total territory and a quarter of its boundary length. The provinces lowest point is 155 meters below sea level and it’s highest is 8611 meters above sea level. More importantly, the borders of Xinjiang include the point of land remotest from the sea which is 1,645 miles from the nearest coastline. Several of its borders are marked by mountain ranges contributing to the relative seclusion of the region, making it rather difficult to access by land. Because of its geography and climate, Xinjiang is well suited for producing fruits especially grapes and melons, and other commodities such as wheat, silk and cotton. However, none of these products has the power or value of the natural minerals and oil present in the region. According to China’s estimates, Petroleum reserves have reached 20.9 billion tons (30% of the petroleum on land in China)(CIA World Factbook)


8. Act and Harm Sites: China and China (Xinjiang)
Nation A impacts Nation A

The Act and Harm sites are primarily the same: China. However, there have been a few exceptions as to the locations in China. In early 1997, following the uprising in Yining (i.e. Gulja) in Xinjiang province (as mentioned above) there have been several bombs detonated on buses in Beijing, reportedly an act carried out by Uyghur Muslim separatists. (Though authorities originally denied the act as that of ethnic separatists, their actions proved otherwise, they began to carry out such orders as restricting religious worship activities (MacKinnon).) Perhaps this indicates the potential for the conflict to reach beyond internal (provincial) borders and maybe even international borders if Xinjiang were to further engage activists and/or separatist extremists in Central Asian territories.

Chinese Population Distribution According to Linguistic Groups

courtesy of The General Libraries at University of Texas Austin
Uyghurs make up 8 million of Xinjiang’s 17 million inhabitants. In 1949, Han Chinese made up 6.3% of Xinjiang’s population compared to 38% today (See map on Chinese language disbursement: In Xinjiang, the bright yellow represents Mandarin speakers (Han Chinese) and the tan represents speakers of Turkic languages (including Uyghur) (Lawrence). Not only has the composition of the population in Xinjiang changed but the quantity has changed as well. The oil reserves have produced an influx of people moving to the region for the wrong reasons. Many Han Chinese, who otherwise would not have gone (or subjected themselves to such an extreme climate) have either volunteered or were sent specifically to exploit the area’s natural resources. Not only does this deplete the resources themselves, it adds excessive pressure and strain on the local economy and the natural resources available for day to day living. (i.e. sacrificing agricultural land for urban development.) Therefore, to expound upon how this case was categorized earlier, it is not just the extraction of oil that is important but the unnecessary, extreme depletion of available resources and a loss of habitat (CIA World Factbook).


III. Conflict Aspects

9. Type of Conflict: Civil conflict
The conflict exists between two ethnic groups within Chinese borders.
As with most conflicts that happen internally in China, there is a great degree of conflicting information. Additionally, it is important to clarify that though the single incident in Yining (Gulja) has been highlighted, the overarching conflict between the ethnic Uyghurs and the Han Chinese spans many incidents of resistance and far more casualties.





The conflict originated over the Uyghur people's desire for political and religious independence from the Han Chinese. With this desire for independence, came the struggle for natural resources and local economic sustainability. The exploitation of local oil reserves exacerbated ethnic differences and helped fuel the conflict.


Specifically in regards to what happened in Yining in February of 1997, the numbers of casualties and deaths are estimates at best. Most reports (including Chinese officials’ numbers) range anywhere from nine to twenty dead and hundreds injured. Unofficial witness accounts have claimed anywhere from 30 to 100 to 400 were injured or killed (1). Other sources simply state that hundreds joined the demonstrations that day and when fighting broke out a ‘number of civilians and police officers were killed’. According to still other reports, prior estimates failed to take into account the number of those arrested and subsequently tortured in custody, or those who remain unaccounted for (Tyler, 167-172)(2). Following the incident, and as a direct result of it, Amnesty International asserts that 210 death sentences were subsequently handed down and at least 190 carried out.


(1) Some have given accounts that stated 10-20 separatists were secretly executed fueling the uprising giving rise to incalculable numbers of death and injuries (Oasis Identities, 100)


(2)There were wide reports of torture by subjecting the prisoners to freezing temperatures in public gathering places where many suffered frostbite, amputated limbs or even death. (Amnesty International)


10. Level of Conflict: Low


The level of the intrastate (civil) conflict is low. The small, localized, struggles were quickly and forcefully contained and put down by local Chinese enforcement.


(Prior incidents reporting few casualties: Khotan rising, Dec. 1954; Baren county, April 1990; Yining (first disturbances) April 1995; Aksu county, Feb-April 1996.)


11. Fatality Level of Dispute (military and civilian fatalities): Low, 30 civilian fatalities (reported).






General Estimate: 30 people killed, at least 100 severely injured
IV. Environment and Conflict Overlap

12. Environment-Conflict Link and Dynamics: Direct/Indirect
The core of the environmental conflict ultimately rests over China’s (or the Chinese government’s) access to oil in the Xinjiang region (the Direct environmental-conflict link). However, a second tier exists within the conflict over the ‘side-effects’ that the Uyghur population is now having to deal with as a result, not only with the decline in oil resources, but also the environmental degradation that has accompanied the influx of the population.
Xinjiang is known for its agricultural land and appropriate climate for producing fruits, especially grapes, and other seasonal products. However, development (land development) has threatened the availability and richness of the land, somewhat paralyzing the region economically as they are unable to adequately compensate for lost sources of revenue. This growing scarcity of resources is an indirect environment-conflict link.

13. Level of Strategic Interest: Sub-state (with the potential to become Regional)
The situation is ‘Sub-state’ in that the conflict over the strategic interests of oil are between two ethnic groups within China. Both the Chinese (Han) and Uyghur populations ultimately want control over the exploration and exploitation of the oil reserves located in Xinjiang. This same situation could also be viewed as a potential regional conflict because the surrounding Central Asian states not only may develop an interest in the oil (though oil suppliers are plentiful in the Middle East, Xinjiang, China does represent a geographically convenient location for importing oil to many of those countries and some have made agreements to allow China to come in and develope oil drilling sites for export back to China (ex: Kazakhstan)) parts of the populations in those Asian states such as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazahkstan have Uyghur populations as well and so there is a personal/ethnic tie or desire in seeing or supporting the development of an autonomous Uyghur state.


14. Outcome of Dispute: Stalemate

Winter in Urumqi
Given that the outcome of the dispute is highly dependent upon one’s position within the conflict, this situation is even more complicated in that the description or categorization of this problem depends upon who you ask within the decision-making body (The Chinese government in this case) Some Chinese officials will say the situation in Xinjiang is under control or they will deny the severity (or existence) of the problem to begin with. However, other members within the party will hint at the greater complexity of the problem. They will acknowledge that ethnic clashes still continue and may even intensify due to the increasing importance of oil in the region and increasing awareness of the conflict both within China and internationally.

The conflict has been categorized as a stalemate because though China insists it has controlled the situation, Uyghurs in the region would say the government has managed to suppress the disturbances but only temporarily and that in fact the underlying problems are still very real and very deep.

The imposition of Chinese rule over the largely Muslim region continues to this day in all aspects of life for the Uyghur people. For example, just recently the government announced a plan to impose tougher birth control measures on the Uyghurs which Chinese officials claim will stem the population size which they say is beginning to cancel out the improvements attained through economic development (though most of the population in Xinjiang today is Han Chinese). However, the Uyghur people see this as just another example of excessive Chinese authority in the region which, in the past has led to vast human rights violations(1).

This conflict in Western China is also quickly gaining worldwide attention as several Uyghurs who have been detained at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay prison for being possible enemy combatants in 2002 are petitioning to be released. The courts have ruled that the prisoners were detained illegally but the courts lack the power to release them (unable to overrule the President). More specifically related to the conflict at hand, the Uyghurs are seeking release and asylum in the US as they have stated that they will likely be persecuted if/when they return to China (2).

These recent cases are evidence that the ethnic conflict between the Chinese government and the Uyghur population in Xinjiang is still very much alive. The environmental aspects of economic development continue to play an important role not only directly (as pertaining to oil resources) but also indirectly as population management becomes a more critical issue.

(1) Bodeen, Christopher. More Birth Control Sought in China Region. The Washington Post online. February 17, 2006.

(2) Leonnig, Carol D. Chinese Detainees’ Lawyers Will Take Case to High Court. The Washington Post. January 17, 2006


V. Related Information and Sources

15. Related ICE and TED Cases
Separatism

Separatism in Mindanao, Philippines Armed separatist movement began in the early 1970s. Islamic rebel groups engaged in armed conflict with government forces for independence. Tensions exist over the exploitation of the island’s resources and economic disparity.

The Acehnese Resistance Movement and Exxon Mobil The resistance movement in the province Aceh began as a religious movement, but acquired a different tone once Mobil Oil Indonesia (MOI) began to exploit the oil and natural gas deposits there.

The Biafran War After gaining independence from Nigeria, one of three ethnic groups in the region wanted individual independence. This was refused by the remaining groups because of the wealth of oil reserves at stake in the region and their desire to maintain access to them.

Ethnic Conflict and the Environment

Civil War in the Sudan: Resources or Religion? The civil war can not only be characterized as religious, ethnic and regional conflicts but economic as well. Deterioration of the ecological system and scarcity of resources is quickly intensifying the situation.

KALIMAN After decades of ethnic and religious conflict in West Kalimantan, the problem has been further complicated by the government which has granted deforestation rights to cultivate palm oil contributing to the destruction of the rainforest and the local tribes’ way of life.

Yadana Gas Pipeline in Burma The joint venture has drawn criticism from both inside and outside of Burma alleging that the deal was made with a government with massive human rights violations and a record of environmental degradation.

Thai and Burmese Timber Trade The growing timber trade has left the peoples of the region to suffer under state sanctioned human rights abuses and the loss of vital environmental resources which their livelihood and tribal practices depend on.

Exploitation of Environmental Resources

JAYAMINE Island of New Guinea, territory of Indonesia, people have suffered at the hands of the military over protests against copper mining operations. Opposition against Indonesia control has existed for several decades now as the indigenous peoples are racially and ethnically different from Indonesians.

Spratly Islands Dispute Control of the Spratly Islands and the various natural resources available there, has been contended by China and several of its neighbors. With China searching for energy resources, it aims to impose its control over neighboring territories rich in oil, gas and other minerals.

OGONIOIL The Ogonis, an ethnic group in the Delta region (Nigeria), have protested that Shell's oil production has not only devastated the local environment, but has destroyed the economic viability of the region for local farmers and producers. The Nigerian Federal Government has also been accused of failing to protect the environment harming protestors.

16. Relevant Websites and Literature
Bodeen, Christopher. More Birth Control Sought in China Region. The Washington Post online. February 17, 2006.


China-Iran Energy Talks Complicate Nuclear Standoff. The Wall Street Journal. February 17, 2006.


Dillon, Michael, Xinjiang—China’s Muslim Far Northwest. Routledge Curzon, New York. 2004.


Lawrence, Susan V. China: Where Beijing Fears Kosovo. Xinjiang Issue, September 7, 2000 Far Eastern Economic Review.


Leonnig, Carol D. Chinese Detainees’ Lawyers Will Take Case to High Court. The Washington Post. January 17, 2006.


MacKinnon, Rebecca. CNN Correspondent. Does China have ethnic unity? Violence indicates 'no;' leaders say 'yes' April 4, 1997.


Tyler, Christian. Wild West China. Rutgers University Press, New Jersey, 2004.


Rudelson, Justin Jon. Oasis Identities. Columbia University Press, New York, 1997.


Starr, Frederick. Xinjiang: China’s Muslim Borderland. M.E. Sharpe, New York, 2004.


Human Rights Watch publication: Devastating Blows: Religious Repression of Uighurs in Xinjiang http://hrw.org/reports/2005/china0405/index.htm. New York, 2004.


Xinhua General New Service. Xinjiang expected to be new relief for China’s energy resource supply. Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. June 1, 2004.


Xinhua News Agency, China Exclusive: Oil/gas supply line being built along ancient Silk Road in NW China. Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. September 16, 2005.


United Press International, Outside View: China’s Muslims Muazzam Gill. May 7, 2004.
http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/xinjiang.htm#r2

Uighur Minority Rights - Joint Press Statement

JOINT PRESS STATEMENT


CHINA MUST RECOGNIZE AND PROTECT

UIGHUR MINORITY RIGHTS

DEAL UNREST EVEN-HANDEDLY THROUGH INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION

12 TH JULY 2009




We are deeply concerned over the escalating violence in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Reports suggest that the unrest has now spread from Urumqi to the cities of Kashgar, Yarkand, Aksu, Khotan and Karamay.

There are conflicting reports from various sources regarding the number of dead in Urumqi, and the cause of these deaths. Official reports say at least 156 have been killed, while other sources put the figure above 1,000. Uighur sources within Xinjiang say that 400 Uighurs have been killed by police. So far, there have been 1,000 injured and 1,434 arrested in relation to the unrest in Xinjiang.

Official reports link the unrest to the death of two Uighur factory workers in June in an ethnic clash at a toy factory in Shaoguan, Guangdong province. However, other reports suggest that more than 100 Uighurs were killed during the incident at the factory. While the Chinese authorities imposed an information black-out on the incident, it was allegedly the rumours of this incident, and the government’s inaction, that sparked an estimated 10,000 Uighur protestors to take to the streets in Urumqi.

Reports suggest police knew in advance protestors would be demonstrating in large numbers and blocked the roads to prevent them from assembling. This, and heavy-handed policing toward Uighurs, is thought to have played a role in turning the initially peaceful protests in Urumqi into violent riots.

It is probable that the substantial influx of Han Chinese to the region has played a role in the current unrest. A drastic ‘in-transfer’ of ethnic Han Chinese has coincided with the government policy of transferring Uighur women from Xinjiang to the urban areas of China’s eastern seaboard for forced labour, significantly changing the region’s demographics.

According to reports in the media China’s Uighurs are undoubtedly amongst the most repressed peoples of the world. Some of the human rights abuses Uighurs face are forced labour, forced abortion, human trafficking, arbitrary arrest and detention, and severe racial and religious persecution and discrimination.


We call on the Chinese government:

1. To carry out an open and independent investigation into the ethnic clash and deaths that took place in Guangdong in late June.


2. To deal with the protestors in a proportionate and even-handed manner and those arrested must receive fair trials in accordance with international standards. Adequate investigations on the circumstances surrounding all deaths should be carried out.


3. To respect, and provide opportunities for Uighurs to enjoy, their human rights including their religious and cultural rights.


4. To abandon the policy of changing the demography of the region through Han migration and trying to assimilate them into the Han community.


5. To recognize and give effect to the right of self-determination of the Uighurs in accordance with international law.


6. To establish inter-ethnic goodwill councils to address inter-ethnic problems and promote unity.


1. Abdul Ghani Samsudin
Chairman ,SHURA

2. S.M. Mohamed Idris
Chairman , Citizens International

3. Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid
President , TERAS

Friday, July 10, 2009

The CIA And Rioting Uyghurs In Xinjiang

Are the CIA and its friends trying to break up China?

On 6 July 2009, we learn that about 140 people have been killed and more than 800 injured in violence in the city of Urumqi in China’s Xinjiang region. (China’s Xinjiang hit by violence)

Relations between the Han Chinese community and the minority Muslim Uyghurs are tense.

The Uyghurs, a Muslim minority from the autonomous region Xinjiang (Western China), are seeking the secession of their region “East Turkestan” from the People’s Republic of China.


Photo of Urumqi by Michael D. Manning, The Opposite End of China(http://china.notspecial.org/).


In 2007, http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/56104 had an article about China.

From this we learn:

1. German foreign policy makers have held talks with Chinese separatists.

The Munich based “World Uyghur Congress (WUC)” announced its president, US-based Rebiya Kadeer, was received by the German foreign ministry.

Berlin has been escalating its anti-Beijing secessionist offensive.

Germany – and intelligence circles – have been cultivating relations with Uyghur exiled politicians.

‘Current transatlantic activities promoting anti-Chinese separatism and weakening Beijing, are based on decades of German-US cooperation.’




2. Erkin Alptekin, a Uyghur living in exile, is one of the main players and he has CIA links.

Erkin Alptekin moved to Munich in 1971, where he became “Senior Policy Advisor” to the director of the US station “Radio Liberty”.

It was at that time that the CIA began to establish contacts to Uyghurs seeking secession.

“Some, like Erkin Alptekin, who have worked for the CIA’s Radio Liberty, are – in the meantime – on the forefront of the secessionist movement” writes analyst B. Raman, the former Indian government’s cabinet secretary.



3. In Munich, Alptekin founded the “East Turkestan Union in Europe” in 1991; and in April 2004 he founded the “World Uyghur Congress” and became its founding president.

‘From German territory, the congress is steering numerous Uyghur exile organizations around the world, of which some must be classified as being in the terrorist milieu, according to Chinese government information.’

4. The Munich based exile movement seeks to merge the Uyghur secessionist movement with the Tibetan and the Mongolian movements.

It seeks to break up China.

In 1985, former CIA advisor Alptekin participated in the foundation of the “Allied Committee of the Peoples of East Turkestan, Tibet and Inner Mongolia”.

5. Rebiya Kadeer is continuing Alptekin’s activities – and is also receiving German-US American support.

Her husband works for Radio Free Asia, the Asian counterpart to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, also said to have close links to the CIA.

[1] see also Language Struggle and Ethnic Europe
[2] Erkin Alptekin; www.tibet10march.net/web/redner_alptekin.htm
[3] B. Raman: US and Terrorism in Xinjiang; South Asia Analysis Group, Paper No. 499, 24.07.2002
[4] China Seeks Int’l Support In Counter-Terrorism; People’s Daily Online 16.12.2003
[5] B. Raman: US and Terrorism in Xinjiang; South Asia Analysis Group, Paper No. 499, 24.07.2002

China bans Friday prayers in Xinjiang region

Source : The Malaysian Insider


URUMQI, July 10 — Chinese authorities banned prayer gatherings at mosques here today, the principal day of prayer for Muslims, as security officials tried to prevent further ethnic violence in the Xinjiang region.

In another principal Xinjiang city, the ancient Silk Road oasis town of Kashgar, foreign journalists and other visitors were instructed to leave.

Chinese soldiers in riot gear guard the entrance of Dong Kuruk Bridge mosque in the centre of Urumqi today. — Reuters pic



Strictly enforced security was clearly high on the government’s agenda, and the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, said in an editorial today that “to maintain social stability, we need to isolate and crack down hard on a handful of people.” The paper said those who “masterminded, organised and committed serious violence during the riot” should be targeted.

At least 156 people were killed in three days of rioting and unrest that began Sunday in Urumqi, the region’s capital. More than 1,000 were reported injured.

The People’s Daily editorial echoed the remarks of President Hu Jintao, who cut short a visit to the Group of 8 summit meeting in Italy. In a statement issued along with the Communist Party’s senior leaders, Hu called on the authorities to “isolate and deal a blow to the small group” who had a hand in the bloodshed.

“Preserving and maintaining the overall stability of Xinjiang is currently the most urgent task,” said Hu, according to a statement published by the official Chinese news agency.

The party chief of Urumqi, Li Zhi, offered even tougher words: “To those who have committed crimes with cruel means, we will execute them.”

The turmoil began at a southern Chinese shoe factory last month after Chinese workers, spurred by false accusations of rape, attacked Uighur co-workers, killing at least two. The government’s failure to aggressively prosecute those involved in the brawl became a rallying cry for Uighur students in Urumqi, who organised the protest last Sunday that turned violent.

Uighurs, who are Turkic-speaking Muslims, form a minority in Urumqi, a city of 2.3 million that has been heavily settled by ethnic Han Chinese from other parts of China. The influx of so many outsiders, and what many describe as Beijing’s heavy-handed rule, have helped foment resentment among Uighurs.

Urumqi appeared to be settling into an uneasy calm, and the ban on Friday prayers apparently was aimed at preventing large gatherings of Uighurs at the city’s mosques.

It was not clear if similar prayer bans were in force elsewhere in Xinjiang today.

As many as 20,000 troops from nearby regions had poured into Urumqi after the rioting began, forming cordons between ethnic Uighur neighborhoods and those dominated by Han Chinese, who had earlier gone on a revenge spree against Uighur residents.

Both Uighur and Han claim to be the predominant victims of the violence, but the government has declined to release a breakdown of the dead.

A nighttime curfew was in place in Urumqi, but shops began to reopen for the first time yesterday as thousands of anxious residents clogged the city’s bus and train stations seeking to escape the city. As helicopters hovered overhead, military vans roamed the streets with loudspeakers blaring slogans like “Maintain stability” and “Protect the people.”

Since the turmoil began on Sunday, China has accused Rebiya Kadeer, an exiled Uighur leader, of fomenting the strife. Kadeer, who lives in Washington DC, has denied the charge.

But on Wednesday, the government for the first time shifted some of the blame to the United States, which it accused of financing Ms. Kadeer’s organisation, the World Uygur Congress, and other groups that advocate human rights and democracy for ethnic Uighurs in China. The accusation appeared in an article in the People’s Daily.

In recent days Turkey, which has cultural and linguistic ties to China’s Uighurs, has stepped into the fray. Yesterday the minister for trade and industry called for a boycott of Chinese goods to protest the crackdown in Xinjiang. “If the country where we consume the goods does not respect human values, we should reconsider our values,” said the minister, Nihat Ergun, according to the Anatolia news agency. — NYT

SHURA demands China to protect rights of indegenous Uighur Muslims

SHURA registers its shock and concern on the recent riot in the Xinjiang Province of West China involving an ethnic clash between the Han Chinese and the Uighur community killing more than 150 people.

The Uighur who are majority Muslims has been the indigenous community of the East Turkestan province and they have for a long while being mistreated by the Beijing regime since China’s occupation of the once independent state in 1949.

The recent clash is a result of the failure of the Chinese authorities to recognise the rights of the Uighur community , by bringing in the Han Chinese to the Xinjiang province creating an uneasy and strain relationship between the communities.

SHURA deplores the inability of the security forces to maintain peace and order and allow the situation to descend into violence of a bloody scale .

As quoted in an article by an historian , Michaiel Dillon “The violence in Xinjiang has not occurred completely out of the blue. Despite economic development, life for some Uighurs is said to be harder .Its root cause is ethnic tension between the Turkic Muslim Uighurs and the Han Chinese. It can be traced back for decades, and even to the conquest of what is now called Xinjiang by the Manchu Qing dynasty in the 18th Century. “

The Uighur Muslim has been under oppression for many years by the Communist regime who has denied the Muslim community to freely exercise their religious practises.

The recent clash was in fact a time bomb waiting to explode when the Uighur community has been cornered to survive under the bias treatment given to the Han Chinese who were brought into the province.

We demand that China grants the Uighur their liberty to practice the Islamic teachings and to treat them with fairness and with equal social and economic opportunities as given to the immigrants of Han Chinese.

The Chinese regime must take note that The Uighur people has been suffering through unjust treatment by the authorities. They have experienced harsher treatment based on religious restriction as compared with other religions.

In the 1940s there was an independent Eastern Turkestan Republic in part of Xinjiang, and many Uighurs feel that this is their birthright.

Instead, they became part of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, and Xinjiang was declared one of China’s autonomous regions, in deference to the fact that the majority of the population at the time was Uighur.

This autonomy is not genuine, and – although Xinjiang today has a Uighur governor – the person who wields real power is the regional secretary general of the Chinese Communist Party, Wang Lequan, who is a Han Chinese.

SHURA calls on the Chinese to exercise social and economic justice for the Uighur Muslim community and to refrain from curtailing their religious rights to practice Islam.

Abdul Ghani Samsuddin
Chairman SHURA

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Rusuhan di Xinjiang Meragut 140 Nyawa dan 828 Orang Cedera

Seramai 140 orang maut dalam rusuhan yang berlaku di bandar Urumqi, Wilayah Autonomi Xinjiang dan sekurang-kurangnya 828 orang lagi cedera.


Siasatan awal mendapati, rusuhan tersebut menyebabkan lebih 260 buah kereta musnah dibakar di samping 203 buah kedai dan 14 rumah penduduk awam dirosakkan.

Polis telah menangkap lebih seratus orang yang terlibat dalam kejadian ini serta meningkatkan perlindungan terhadap jalan utama di bandar, stesen TV dan syarikat gas asli.


Bilangan kematian itu dianggap sebagai yang teramai sejak berdekad-dekad lalu di China.

Keganasan di bandar raya Urumqi itu berlaku pada Ahad lalu dengan melibatkan ribuan penduduk sehingga menyebabkan operasi memerangi perusuh dilakukan oleh pihak berkuasa di seluruh Xinjiang.

Sebelum ini ketegangan berlaku sejak sekian lama berhubung isu penindasan pemerintah China terhadap penduduk etnik Uighur yang beragama Islam.

"Penduduk berada di dalam rumah. Perkara terbaik yang perlu anda lakukan ialah kembali ke hotel. Itu akan menyebabkan anda berasa selamat," kata seorang ahli perniagaan.

Agensi berita Xinhua yang memetik beberapa pegawai kerajaan menyatakan ratusan orang ditangkap kerana terlibat dalam rusuhan itu.

Namun, kumpulan-kumpulan entik Uighur yang beroperasi di luar China mendakwa pasukan keselamatan negara tersebut sebagai punca rusuhan.

Menurut kumpulan itu, pasukan keselamatan China bertindak keterlaluan dan melepaskan tembakan ke aras penunjuk perasaan.

Jurucakap kerajaan China, Wu Nong berkata, sebanyak 140 orang terbunuh dan 828 lagi cedera dalam rusuhan itu.

Menurutnya, angka kematian dijangka meningkat.

"Keganasan serius dan insiden jenayah itu menyebabkan kecederaan dan kematian lebih 1,000 orang yang tidak bersalah," kata Pengerusi Wilayah Xinjiang, Nur Bekri.

"Ketika ini, situasi masih rumit," katanya.

Imej di stesen televisyen CCTV menunjukkan beberapa lelaki menterbalikkan sebuah kereta polis dan memecahkan tingkapnya.

Terdapat imej yang menunjukkan seorang wanita ditendang ketika dia baring di tanah manakala beberapa buah bas dan kenderaan lain terbakar.

Menurut beberapa ahli perniagaan China berketurunan Han, terdapat 3,000 penunjuk perasaan etnik Uighur yang melakukan protes.

Kebanyakan penduduk di Uighur menyatakan mereka mengalami penindasan politik, kebudayaan dan agama.

Bagaimanapun, Setiausaha Agung Persatuan Uighur Amerika Syarikat (AS), Alim Seytoff memberitahu di Washington bahawa penduduk melakukan protes selepas dua etnik Uighur meninggal dunia di sebuah kilang di selatan China.

Insiden itu mencetuskan kebimbangan di luar negara apabila Setiausaha Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB), Ban Ki-moon meminta semua kerajaan menghormati kebebasan bersuara. - AFP

Chinese ethnic violence in Xinjiang

Map locating Urumqi in China's Xinjiang.
China has said at least 156 people were killed
hen Muslim Uighurs rioted in the restive region in
some of the deadliest ethnic unrest to hit the country in decades.
(AFP Graphic)

Chinese soldiers wearing riot gear tell a woman to
move on as they enforce a curfew in the
city of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region July 7, 2009.
China said a riot that shook the capital of the
western Xinjiang region on Sunday killed
140 people and the government called the ethnic
unrest a plot against its power, signalling a security crackdown.
REUTERS/David Gray (CHINA CONFLICT MILITARY POLITICS)


Armed Chinese policemen march towards a group of
local women during a confrontation along a street
in the city of Urumqi, in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region July 7, 2009.
Hundreds of Uighurs protesting against the arrest
of relatives clashed with police in the capital of
China's Muslim region of Xinjiang on Tuesday
two days after ethnic unrest left 156 dead and 1,080 wounded.
REUTERS/David Gray (CHINA CONFLICT MILITARY POLITICS)



A Han Chinese mob march up a street in Urumqi.
Thousands of angry Han Chinese armed with poles,
meat cleavers and other makeshift weapons stormed through
Urumqi as the flashpoint city riven by ethnic tensions descended into chaos.
(AFP/Peter Parks)




At least 200 Muslim Uighur women staged a fresh protest in China's Urumqi city
to demand the release of detained relatives, two days after deadly riots


Uighur women grieve for their men who they claim
were taken away by Chinese authorities after Sunday's
protest in Urumqi, China, Tuesday, July 7 , 2009.
Urumqi was tense Tuesday, with protests happening in
several parts of the city and both Han Chinese and
Uighur groups facing off with armed police.
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Uighur women grab a police officer as they protest in
front of journalists visiting the area in Urumqi, China,
Tuesday, July 7, 2009. The city, where rioting and ethnic
clashes killed over one hundred people two days ago,
remained extremely tense Tuesday, as security officials
and police continued to work to restore order.
(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Chinese go online to vent ire at Xinjiang unrest

By Ben Blanchard - Tue Jul 7, 2009 12:41PM EDT

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese are venting their anger online after ethnic violence in the Muslim region of Xinjiang left at least 156 dead but are playing a cat-and-mouse game with censors who appear to be removing some posts and blogs.

Many of the comments demanded swift punishment for those involved, echoing remarks in official state media blaming exiled Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer for masterminding the riots in the regional capital of Urumqi on Sunday.

"Destroy the conspiracy, strike hard against these saboteurs, and strike even more fiercely than before," said an anonymous posting on a blog on www.sina.com.cn by a person known as "Chang Qing."

Yet authorities have been working fast to remove comments about the violence, apparently to prevent ethnic hatred from spreading or Internet users questioning government policies toward regions populated by ethnic minorities.

Along with Tibet, Xinjiang is one of the most politically sensitive regions in China and Beijing has tried to control online debate about the violence across China.

Many blogs have simply posted articles from the domestic media about the unrest, but in the section where readers are invited to leave their thoughts is written: "There are no comments at this time" -- unusual, given the popularity of blogs in China with 300 million Internet users.

Some sites which had posted graphic images of beaten and bloody bodies, purportedly taken during or after the riots, also had them swiftly removed.

The government has cut access to the Internet in Urumqi, the city's Communist Party Chief Li Zhi said on Tuesday, to stop it being used to fuel further violence.

Also on Tuesday, access to social networking site Facebook seemed to be disrupted in some places. Users in Guangzhou Shanghai, Beijing and Chongqing said they could not reach the site, although Facebook spokesman Larry Yu said the company was not seeing any changes in traffic from China at this time.

This came on top of an apparent block on Twitter and search restrictions for Xinjiang topics on Chinese rival, Fanfou.com.

REVENGE VS UNDERSTANDING

Almost half of Xinjiang's 20 million people are Uighurs, a Turkic, largely Islamic people who share linguistic and cultural bonds with Central Asia.

They have long complained Han Chinese reap most of the benefits from official investment and subsidies, while making Uighurs feel like outsiders.

Postings showed a mixture of suspicion and sympathy for Uighurs in the wake of violence that critics have called a separatist plot, but overseas activists have said was a spontaneous outpouring of long-standing grievances.

Some warned Hans, China's predominant ethnic group, would take revenge -- shortly before thousands of angry Han protestors took to the streets of Urumqi seeking Uighur targets.

"The blood debt will be repaid. Han compatriots unite and rise up," wrote "Jason" on search engine www.baidu.com.

Others have sought to invoke the spirit of Wang Zhen, the Chinese general who is reviled and feared by many Uighurs for repression when he led Communist troops into Xinjiang in 1949 to bring it into the newly formed People's Republic of China.

"Study this hard," wrote one posting above a potted history of Wang apparently taken from a Chinese history book.

Still, a few people appealed for greater understanding of Uighur grievances.

"If your family members have no rights, no power, are discriminated against and made fun of, not only will your family collapse, you will already have sown the seeds of hatred," wrote "Bloody Knife."

One person, called "zfc883919" and writing on Xinjiang portal www.tianya.cn, said he did not understand how the police could have let the death toll rise so high.

"What on earth were you doing? That was 156 living beings. I hope relevant authorities really learn a lesson, so that this kind of tragedy is not repeated."

(Additional reporting and writing by Emma Graham-Harrison; Editing by Benjamin Kang Lim and Sophie Hares)

At least 150 dead in Chinese ethnic violence

REUTERS/ … By Chris Buckley Chris Buckley – Tue Jul 7, 4:32 am ET

URUMQI, China (Reuters) – Riot police on Tuesday fired tear gas to try to break up rock-throwing Han and Uighur protesters who clashed in the capital of China's Muslim region of Xinjiang two days after bloody clashes killed 156 and wounded more than 1,000.

Hundreds of protesters from China's predominant Han ethnic group, many clutching meat cleavers, metal pipes and wooden clubs, smashed shops owned by Uighurs, a Turkic largely Islamic people who share linguistic and cultural bonds with Central Asia.

Some Han Chinese protesters shouted "attack Uighurs" as both sides hurled rocks at each other.

Police used tear gas to try to disperse the crowd, but it only emboldened the demonstrators, caught between two sets of anti-riot police 600 meters apart.

Some used water to wash the gas out of their eyes as they pressed toward police at the mainly Uighur end of the street.

"They attacked us. Now it's our turn to attack them," a man in the crowd told Reuters. He refused to give his name.

Along with Tibet, Xinjiang is one of the most politically sensitive regions in China and in both places the government has sought to maintain its grip by controlling religious and cultural life while promising economic growth and prosperity.

The violence, which has showed signs of spreading in the volatile region, appeared to have little impact on China's financial markets. Stocks slipped on technical factors while the yuan was trading higher against the dollar.

Xinjiang has long been a hotbed of ethnic tensions, fostered by a yawning economic gap between Uighurs and Han Chinese, government controls on religion and culture and an influx of Han Chinese migrants who now are the majority in most key cities.

Beijing has poured cash into exploiting Xinjiang's rich oil and gas deposits and consolidating its hold on a strategically vital frontierland that borders Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia, but Uighurs say migrant Han are the main beneficiaries.

"TIME TO FIGHT BACK"

Part of the crowd briefly surged forward singing the Chinese national anthem before police drove them back with tear gas.

Anti-riot police armed with clubs and shields pushed protesters away from a Uighur neighborhood but hundreds managed to break through police lines.

There was a standoff between police and a crowd of mainly Han Chinese and some Hui Muslims. They chanted slogans including "Unity is Strength" and "Defend Stability, Protect the People."

Many of the Uighur protesters were women, wailing and waving the identity cards of husbands, brothers or sons they say were arbitrarily seized in a sweeping reaction to Sunday's rioting in the city of Urumqi.

"My husband was taken away yesterday by police. They didn't say why. They just took him away," a woman who identified herself as Maliya told Reuters.

The crowd began to march toward the Xinjiang regional government, saying the government was too weak. "Now it's time to go to the government," one protester surnamed Zhang said.

Abdul Ali, a Uighur man in his 20s who had taken off his shirt, held up his clenched fist. "They've been arresting us for no reason, and it's time for us to fight back," he said.

Ali said three of his brothers and a sister were among 1,434 suspects taken into custody. Of the 156 killed, 27 were women.

Human rights groups have warned that a harsh crackdown on Uighurs in the wake of Sunday's violence could merely exacerbate the grievances that fueled ethnic tensions.

Urumqi Communist Party boss Li Zhi defended the crackdown.

"It should be said that they were all violent elements who wielded clubs and smashed, looted, burned and even murdered at the scene," he told a news conference.

Earlier on Tuesday, Xinjiang's Communist Party boss Wang Lequan said that although Sunday's unrest had been quelled, "this struggle is far from over."

Xinjiang's state-run media quoted Wang as calling for officials to launch "a struggle against separatism."

But Human Rights Watch's Asia advocacy director Sophie Richardson called for an independent investigation.

UNREST SPREADING?

Some Xinjiang newspapers carried graphic pictures of the violence, including corpses, at least one of which showed a woman whose throat had been slashed.

Despite heightened security, some unrest appeared to be spreading in the volatile region, where long-standing ethnic tensions periodically erupt into bloodshed.

Police dispersed around 200 people at the Id Kah mosque in Kashgar in southern Xinjiang on Monday evening, Xinhua said.

The report did not say if police used force but said checkpoints had been set up at crossroads between Kashgar airport and downtown.

Almost half of Xinjiang's 20 million people are Uighurs, while the population of Urumqi, which lies around 3,300 km (2,000 miles) west of Beijing, is mostly Han.

Chinese officials have already blamed the unrest on separatist groups abroad which it says want to create an independent homeland for Uighurs.

The Chinese embassy in the Netherlands was attacked by exiled pro-Uighur activists who smashed windows, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. China condemned the attack.

(Additional reporting by Emma Graham-Harrison, Yu Le and Benjamin Kang Lim in Beijing; Paul Eckert in Washington; and Ben Blanchard in Shanghai; Editing by Nick Macfie and Jeremy Laurence)

Friday, July 3, 2009

Malu kita, orang lain bersungguh...kita acuh tak acuh





Aktivis Amerika Adakan Kempen Boikot Produk Israel
June 25, 2009



Pada hari Sabtu, 20 Jun, kumpulan aktivis yang dikenali sebagai Don’t Buy Into Apartheid-QUIT (Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism) berkumpul di Trader Joe di Oakland dan San Francisco, Amerika Syarikat bagi menuntut pemberhentian syarikat-syarikat pasaraya dari menjual barangan Israel.

Para aktivis membuang produk buatan Israel dari rak-rak jualan sebagai satu protes dan isyarat keapda para pelanggan untuk tidak membeli produk Israel. Mereka juga bertemu dengan pengurus-pengurus kedai dan memohon agar mereka memaklumkan kepada ibu pejabat mereka bahawa mereka tidak lagi membekalkan produk-produk buatan Israel, seperti herba dan keju. Tindakan-tindakan serupa telah diadakan di Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Seattle, Washington, dan Sacramento, California. Aktivis tersebut telah mendapat inspirasi bagi mengadakan kempen tersebut setelah mengetahui pendekatan tersebut dilakukan oleh aktivis dari Wales dan Perancis.

Aktivis mengeluarkan produk Israel dari rak jualan

Salah seorang pengurus yang bekerja di Trader Joe memberitahu aktivis-aktivis itu, “Jika anda meyakinkan pelanggan-pelanggan kami untuk berhenti membeli produk Israel, kita akan berhenti menjual kepada mereka.”

Kumpulan aktivis ini memberikan kupon-kupon untuk para pelanggan kepada petugas juruwang di situ agar mengagihkan kepada pelangan mereka untuk tidak membeli produk Israel. -
Menurut Sunaina Maira, Profesor Madya dari Asian American Studies at University of California-Davis, Israel merupakan antara Negara yang mengamalkan polisi penghapusan etnik dan dasar aparteid, dan masih meneruskan pelanggaran resolusi-resolusi Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu sehingga hari ini. Pemulauan produk mereka adalah satu strategi yang berkesan dan tidak ada unsur keganasan. Melalui pendekatan ini akan dapat memberi tekanan kepada mereka bagi mematuhi undang-undang antarabangsa.”

Isu Selatan Thailand, Teras desak wujudkan badan bebas

Sumber : Harakahdaily.net
Muhammad Arif Ismail
Sun Jun 28, 09 7:57:41 am MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Jun (Hrkh) - Kerajaan Thailand didesak wujudkan badan bebas bagi menyiasat bukan sahaja peristiwa yang berlaku di Masjid al Furqan, Kampung Air Tempayang, malah di tempat lain kerana ia berkaitan dengan kepercayaan penduduk terhadap pihak berkuasa di negara itu.


Perkara ini ditegaskan oleh Presiden Teras Pengupayaan Melayu (Teras), Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid yang berpendirian bahawa Kerajaan Negara Gajah Putih itu mesti dengan segera mewujudkan satu badan secara bagi menyiasat tragedi ini dan sehingga sekarang masih belum ada jawatan bebas tersebut.

"Yang ada hanyalah Polis yang membuat soalan-soalan kepada penduduk kampung tetapi tidak ada badan bebas yang berkredibiliti untuk mengembalikan kepercayaan kepada negara dan pihak berkuasa," katanya dalam sidang media baru-baru ini.

Beliau menegaskan bahawa penduduk di Selatan Thai sudah hilang kepercayaan kepada pihak polis, kerajaan dan tentera.

Katanya, oleh itu, Teras dapati bahawa isu ini tidak boleh diselesaikan selagi polisi yang diamalkan oleh beberapa Perdana Menteri Thai iaitu dari Taksin hinggalah Abishit tidak berubah dengan meminggirkan penduduk di Selatan Thai dalam semua aspek.

"Polisi tetap sama, kawasan tersebut dijadikan satu kawasan medan politik untuk pihak tertentu menggunakan ketegangan di Wilayah itu bagi mendapatkan pengaruh di Thailand.

"Jadi kita kesal, adanya suatu konspirasi pihak atasan di negara itu yang menjadikan umat Islam sebagai mangsa kepada konflik dalaman kerajaan.

"Akhirnya, apa yang kita tuntut ialah undang-undang darurat yang telah dikuatkuasakan sejak 2005 mesti ditarik balik. Akta darurat tersebut memberi kebenaran kepada pihak tentera untuk menangkap sesiapa sahaja tanpa bicara.

"Kemudian pihak tentera juga boleh menyerbu kemana sahaja yang mereka hendak dan mendakawa sesiapa sahaja.

"Ini ada asasnya untuk rakyat di wilayah itu berasa selesa. kalau tidak rakyat akan melihat mereka akan sentiasa diawasi oleh pihak keselamatan," jelasnya.

Teras juga menutut kerajaan Thai agar segera memberi perhatian terhadap keresahan ini bukan sahaja dari segi bantuan semata-mata.

"Apa yang dimahukan ialah hak mereka sudah dirampas sejak 200 tahun lalu iaitu pada tahun 1902 apabila Kesultanan Melayu Islam Patani dibatalkan oleh British dengan perjanjian Anglo Bangkok pada tahun itu.

"Sejak daripada itulah, umat Islam Selatan Thai hidup dalam penghinaan. Bahasa, identiti dan hak mereka untuk mendapatkan perlindungan dihapuskan," tegas beliau.

Beliau yang lebih mesra dipanggil cikgu berkata, penduduk di Selatan Thai juga bahawa ini adalah satu kezaliman dan kebimbangan ini bukan berpunca dari soal pembangunan tetapi politik yang telah dicerobohi oleh Kerajaan Thailand.

Patani, menurutnya merupakan satu wilayah yang berdaulat dan mereka berhak menuntut. Soalnya, Kerajaan Thai hendak tunduk kepada tuntutan untuk memberikan kuasa autonomi adalah soa yang harus dibincangkan.

"Tetapi untuk mengatakan bahawa wilayah selatan Thai mesti tunduk kepada apa yang dikehendaki oleh Bangkok itu, kita rasakan tidak wajar sama sekali kerana fakta sejarah yang tidak dapat dinafikan bahawa Patani pernah menjadi satu wailayah yang berdaulat," ujar beliau.

Sementara itu, beliau juga menegaskan bahawa Pertubuhan Negara-Negara Asia Tenggara (Asean) didesak agar serius menangani konflik yang berlaku di rantau ini.

Menurutnya, Asean perlu melihat isu ini dengan serius kerana sekarang kit adapati konflik diantara agama di rantau ini semakin memuncak dan bertambah parah.

"Tengok saja peristiwa yang berlaku di Mindanao, Selatan Thai dan di Myammar yang mana rakyat Rohingya yang beragama Islam turut ditindas dan akhirnya berlaku konflik di antara agama," katanya.

Ini sangat serius, katanya, kalau Asean membiarkan isu ini berlarutan maka, rantau ini akan berhadapan dengan potensi untuk menjadi konflik antara agama yang sangat berat.

"Oleh kerana itu, kita desak Asean supaya mengadakan sidang tergempar untuk diadakan di peringkat tertinggi pertubuhan itu," tegasnya. - mks._

Thursday, July 2, 2009

"Kami hanya perlukan doa dari rakyat Malaysia"


Sumber : Harakahdaily.net

Muhammad Arif Ismail
Sun Jun 28, 09 7:52:56 am MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Jun (Hrkh) - "Kami memohon kepada seluruh rakyat Malaysia agar dapat berdoa kepada tuhan supaya diberi ketabahan melalui hidup ini, ini yang kami mahukan.

"Mereka tidak meminta bantuan dan kekayaan tetapi mengatakan nasib mereka perlu diberi perhatian daripada seluruh rakyat malaysia yang cintakan kedamaian,"demikian pengalaman yang diceritakan oleh Presiden Teras Pengupayaan Melayu (Teras), Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid semasa menyertai rombongan ke tempat peristiwa berdarah di Masjid al Furqan di Cho Airong yang terletak 50 kilometer dari bandar Sungai Golok yang berlaku baru-baru ini.

Seramai 11 orang jemaah masjid berkenaan telah dibunuh secara kejam oleh 6 lelaki yang bersenjatakan rafile dan tidak berpuas hati dan masuk ke dalam sebelum melepaskan beberapa das tembakan bagi memastikan semua jemaah terbabit benar-benar mati.

Menurutnya yang membuat lawatan ke tempat kejadian pada 14 Jun lalu, mereka memohon kepada rakyat Malaysia agar dapat berdoa supaya dapat melalui hidup ini dengan tabah.

Beliau berkata demikian dalam sidang media yang diadakan di Dewan Masjid Al Muhsinin, Taman Danau Desa, dekat di sini yang turut dihadiri oleh Presiden Sekretariat Himpunan Ulama Asia (Shura), Ust. Abdul Ghani Samsudin dan Timbalan Yang Dipertua Persatuan Ulama Malaysia, Dato' Md. Saleh Ahmad.

Katanya, ketika menceritakan pengalaman beliau semasa menyertai rombongan yang dianggotai oleh 15 dari 11 badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) Malaysia, mereka diiringi oleh lebih kurang 30 anggota tentera dan polis serta ditemani oleh seorang Mejar Jeneral dari Bangkok.

"Mereka dihantar untuk mengiringi kami dengan kawalan keselamatan yang ketat dengan hampir 15 'check point' dan dari Patani ke Narathiwat tempat kejadian terdapat lebih kurang 10 'check point'.

"Ini sangat ketat serta sangat sukar untuk orang biasa untuk pergi ke tempat kejadian itu.

"Mereka mengawasi setiap pertemuan kita dengan penduduk kampung, tetapi alhamdulilah semasa kami pergi ke kampung tersebut tiada masalah dari segi kami hendak meyatakan rasa simpati atas yang yang menimpa," katanya.

Sambung beliau, kami juga menyampaikan derma sebanyak RM 30,000 hasil daripada kutipan derma rakyat Malaysia dan pihak berkuasa juga menyaksikan ketika kami menyampaikan derma tersebut kepada penduduk yang terlibat dalam pembunuhan kejam itu.

Suasana di sana katanya, sangat memilukan setelah mengadakan pertemuan dengan semua balu-balu kerana suami mereka semuanya berumur dalam lingkungan umur yang paling muda sekitar 33 tahun dan yang tua pula berumur dalam lingkungan 60 dan 70 tahun.

"Kami juga melihat sendiri keadaan masjid itu di mana peluru yang digunakan dengan begitu banyak dan kesannya dapat dilihat pada dinding masjid.

"Sama sekali kita merasa sangat-sangat sedih terhadap suasana masjid al Furqan itu yang dikelilingi oleh suasana kampung yang sangat damai tetapi mereka berhadapan dengan kejutan itu," katanya.

Namun katanya, mereka tabah menghadapi semua ini, masih lagi nampak kuat. Tetapi para balu itu mengatakan ini merupakan satu trauma yang sama sekali tidak akan hilang dalam hiudp mereka.

"Mereka juga memikirkan bagaimana hendak mengatasi kehidupan dengan menyara anak-anak yang menjadi yatim akibat peristiwa ini yang kami hitung lebih kurang seramai 22 orang," ujar beliau. - mks._