China: Urumqi mass incident and beyond
According to Xinhua latest report (July 6), the violence in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has led to at least 140 people dead and 828 injured. The regional government said that the mass incident was masterminded by the World Uyghur Congress. However, Uyghur independent activist explained that the unrest was sparked by anger over a confrontation between Han Chinese and Uyghur factory workers in Shaoguan city.
Shaoguan June 26 riot
So what had actually happened in Shaoguan? According to the Chinese official report, the conflict on 26 of June was caused by a rumor about a sexual assault of Han Chinese woman worker in a factory campus by Uyghur worker. The armed fight between Han and Uyghur workers had led to the death of 2 Uyghurs (some unconfirmed sources said the number of death was up to 18 Uyghurs). The Youtube videos below showed the June 26 riot:
Ethnic policy and hatred
While the Chinese government continued to use western conspiracy theory in addressing the ethnic conflict, Drunken Pig pointed out from a Han Chinese perspective that the Shaoguan incident and other similar ethnic conflicts are a result of government's ethnic policy:
汉人女工被强奸的事情在广东经常发生，但是由于作案者大多能够得到有效处理，很少酿成大规模群体事件。这次因为涉及到维族群体，而且传说是涉案者被政府释放而不受惩罚的事情重复发生之后，才导致大规模群体仇杀。
这些年的群体事件，大多出于民众对特权阶层的仇恨，而这些特权阶层的背后，都是国家暴力。中国政府的民族政策，把流到内地的维族群众变成了这样一个特权团体，但是同时也剥夺了维族人本该拥有的信仰权和自治权。
Repressing religion freedom
由于中宣部的丰功伟绩，普通民众对其他宗教所知甚少，甚至有些人以为穆斯林不吃猪肉是因为猪是他们的祖宗。无知导致的种种误解…可以说，很多仇恨都是政府的宣传机构煽动出来的…
在广东，虽然有很多维族人，但是你很难看到清真寺。我相信礼拜和祈祷对减少穆斯林的犯罪率是有效的。
那些杀人的汉人，在这次冲突中表现得非常残忍。但是平心而论，他们长期以来是受害群体。在广东，几乎所有的政府部门都护着新疆人。镇压汉人群体事件不会有大问题，但是镇压维族人，会遇到很大的阻力。因此地方政府迫于当地民众压力清理新疆流氓的行动，有时候竟然要借用黑社会和便衣联手的方式。
Social minority and unemployment problem
Uighur online disagreed with Drunken pig's Han centric viewpoint and presented the other side of the story:
成千上万的维吾尔孩子被拐骗到内地毒打虐待做小偷是事实，你们有多少人想到背后的社会问题？一个人、一个民族谁天生愿意做小偷？ZF采取过什么有效的干预措施？在我看来：一部分维吾尔孩子沦为小偷的事实恰恰说明了一个真实的现状：维吾尔人在他们的故乡处于是社会的最下层地位。
DXXX (account protected) from twitter also pointed out that:
在新疆名义上是维吾尔自治区，但是维吾尔在新疆是弱势民族。仅就汉语的使用,就是当地维吾尔族处于极大的劣势，所有招聘单位都由汉语主导。很多企业排斥招收维吾尔员工。金融、通讯、银行、石油化工，天然气等诸多领域，维吾尔人都是限制。由于政府的歧视政策,造成维吾尔人就业困难。
Urumqi mass incident
Back to the Urumqi Mass Incident, during the curfew, twitterer zz23377737 experienced 1. electricity cut. 2. disrupted tele-communication 3. non-stop police siren. Several twitterers said that the Internet connection was still cut unavailable this morning in Urumqi.
Below are two videos showing the protest scene:
ESWN has the most updated collection of news and informations on the Urumqi Mass Incident.
38 comments
I have read many accusations of human rights abuse and repression of the Uighur citizens published by the Uighur American Association, but I’ve not seen anything specific that the PRC has done that would be considered Human Rights Abuse. I know Rebiya Kadeer’s sons have been arrested and sentenced for crimes such as of tax evasion and planning to over through the Government. They may or may not be guilty, who knows? So please let’s do not discuss this as Uighur repression. Does anyone have any concrete examples of specific cases of wide spread repression and discrimination other than religious activities?
So heavy restrictions on religious activities do not qualify as repression? It’s ironic to read such a cavalier dismissal of religious freedom from one who lives in a country where it is constitutionally protected. I wonder how you and other Americans would feel if the US Congress passed a law requiring all religious organizations and appointments of religious leaders to have government approval.
You’re right that Rebiya Kadeer’s sons may be guilty to trying to overthrow the powerful government of a nation of 1.3 billion people living on land roughly the size of the US. IWho knows?
Hmmm… I agree with both what the Han guy says and what the Uyghur people say, which basically means, the ethnic policies of Beijing fail, BIG TIME.
Now, Beijing, do something or let the Chinese people have a better substitute.
Well Songia, you certainly misunderstood what I was asking!
Yes, religious oppression does count and yes it may be grounds to justify treason, I don’t know. I was not arguing that!
But we already know that China restricts freedom of religion along with other issues such as freedom of the press, etc, etc. Not just in Xinjiang but everywhere, not just with the Muslims but with everyone.
What I was looking for was something I didn’t already know.
Personally, given the history of the region, I would rather see the PRC just pull out of Xinjiang taking all their investment, their support and the Han people with it. Give this desert wasteland back to them and see how long it would take before the new Islamic nation collapsed from within. Then when East Turkistan caused too much trouble for the PRC they could treat them like an invading rouge nation and turn the Xinjiang region into a huge glass parking lot and start the regional development all over again with 100% Han Chinese population.
“Yes, religious oppression does count and yes it may be grounds to justify treason, I don’t know. “
Treason means different things in different countries. A state secret in China is often public information in the US under the Freedom of Information Act. As I recall, Rebiya Kadeer was jailed for sending a newspaper clipping to her husband overseas.
“But we already know that China restricts freedom of religion along with other issues such as freedom of the press, etc, etc. Not just in Xinjiang but everywhere, not just with the Muslims but with everyone.”
On this point I agree with you. Some China-watchers have suggested that human rights advocates should focus on all Chinese and not just certain ethnic or religious groups.
“Personally, given the history of the region, I would rather see the PRC just pull out of Xinjiang taking all their investment, their support and the Han people with it. Give this desert wasteland back to them and see how long it would take before the new Islamic nation collapsed from within. Then when East Turkistan caused too much trouble for the PRC they could treat them like an invading rouge nation and turn the Xinjiang region into a huge glass parking lot and start the regional development all over again with 100% Han Chinese population.”
WOW. Did you just suggest genocide, albeit in ‘self defense’? Such hatred towards the Uighurs is perplexing and unexpected from an English-sounding username living in the US. The other ‘Stans have survived the breakup of the Soviet Union, and East Turkistan could, too. The UN’s newest member, East Timor, is poor and unstable, but no one there ever thinks about giving up sovereignty and rejoining Indonesia.
Are these treatments examples of humanity???Every society has judging rules of course ..But can it be like this??!!!!How can you kill people who gave you this right!!!!Are we doing the same to the chinese people in our country???Whatever the reason is , noone can do such a cruelty to people!!In modern developed world , guilty people are given punishment -NOT KILLED!!!Supposed that you are punishing only the guilty ones , then what happens to innocent ones??How will you defense yourself???this is the humanity shame..you should be ashamed….
I don’t like china goverment….
Hm, I do not think there’s anything wrong to register with the gov if you are a religious leader. Gosh, I live a simple life in USA, and I have so much paper work . . .
1) income tax (federal and state) sometimes local tax too depending on where you live
2) escrow tax
3) car tax & registration
the list goes on. . . trust me it’s not too hard to find a person’s identity if the government wants to. The usa gov seems like a free gov, but once you get trouble with the law, there’s no way to escape. . .
It’s not much different than China. . . except China is a communist, so of course we blame everything on her. . ..
I am LAUGHING so hard I get tears in my eyes. This must be a joke to insult the normal inteligent being. ok, 9/11 is considered a terrorist attack, and usa has been in war ever since. So many young American soldiers are killed. Yet similar terrorist attacks (although in smaller scale) in China is considered government oppression. Wow, I do NOT see the logic here. Can you believe that usa is threatening China to sanction her with her internal affairs? China should toughen up and meddle with Iraq & Afghanistan wars, because those are NOT usa internal affairs. Those are international affairs. I think one blogger mention China/Hu Jintao has to toughen up and beat the hell out of the terrorists and the conspirators. . .
Knights, I don’t know where you are located in the USA but I have to say that you and I are thinking almost the same. China catches so much flack from the US for anything she does. If the same riot had took place in the US there would be many more dead people, because everyone involved would have been packing heat.
I own property in Urumqi, I’ve spent a lot of time there and am about to marry a wonderful Han Chinese girl who lives there so this stuipd fighting really bothers me.
But I really don’t know the answer as to how to prevent it.
I am praying for the people of Urumqi and that all the family members taken by the Chinese authorities will be returned home unharmed. That is a terrible thing to steal family. I wonder about China. I hear cats and dogs are skinned alive, beaten to death and bears are kept in hidious cages. It is no wonder the earth trembles so in South East Asia.
Broken Wolf, your comments are prime examples of misinformed ignorance! The Chinese are wonderful people, not cruel uncivilized animals who would lower themselves to the level you are suggesting. If you are talking about the Chinese Pandas, they are treated better than a lot of people in other parts of the world. If you are going to comment at least get some of your facts right.