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Uighur group fears ‘fierce’ crackdown after Olympics end

A US-based group of exiled Uighurs issued a statement yesterday saying it feared the Chinese government would launch a “fierce” repression of Uighurs in its northwestern Xinjiang region after the Olympics.

The Uyghur American Association (UAA) said recent comments made by top Chinese officials and the tightened restrictions and many arrests following a spate of deadly attacks this month were indications that China may be planning a tough crackdown once the Olympics end.

The region’s Communist Party secretary, Wang Lequan (王樂泉), recently stated that all levels of government officials should understand that China faces a “life or death” struggle to quell Uighur unrest.

China’s Political Consultative Committee head Zhu Hailun also said in a televised news conference on Monday that government forces must “strike hard” at the three “evil forces” (terrorism, separatism and extremism), and mobilize the masses to guard against these forces at all levels of society, the group said.

It said that another group, the Uyghur Human Rights Project, had heard reliable reports that all non-resident Uighurs in the city of Korla in Xinjiang had been detained and told they would be released after the Beijing Olympics were over.

The alleged detention of non-resident Uighurs in Korla reportedly began following a series of bombings China said were carried out by Uighurs in nearby Kucha County on Aug. 10.

UAA reiterated the Munich-based World Uighur Congress’ (WUC) recent reports that more than 100 Uighurs have been arrested in Kashgar following an attack on paramilitary police in the city on Aug. 4, which killed 16 officers.

In addition, at least 90 Uighurs, including several women, have reportedly been arrested in and near Kucha following the Kucha attacks, the UAA said, also backing the WUC’s claims.

“At present, Uighurs do not feel secure anywhere in China, including East Turkestan, as they are seen as political suspects by the PRC [People’s Republic of China] authorities,” the group said.

UAA quoted Rebiya Kadeer, leader of the Uighur human rights movement, as saying: “I am extremely concerned that the Chinese government will launch a ‘life and death struggle’ on the Uighur people once the international community’s focus has shifted from China.”

NO ENTRY

Meanwhile, an exiled student leader who took part in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 said yesterday that China had blocked him from visiting Hong Kong during the Olympics.

Wang Dan (王丹) said in a statement from Los Angeles that the Chinese consulate in that city refused to accept his application for a visa to visit Hong Kong for a talk yesterday.

Wang said the consulate rejected his application because his Chinese passport expired in 2003 — but Chinese officials have also refused to renew his passport. He currently travels on a travel document issued by the US government.

“As the Olympics are being held, we’ve seen the Chinese government promise to be more open to the world. But it can’t even be open to its own citizens. How can this kind of openness convince people?” Wang said in his statement.

The former student leader said he applied for a Hong Kong visa once before and was also denied.

A former British colony, Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997, but it maintains separate political and financial systems from the mainland and has promised Western-style civil liberties commonly denied in China.

Wang rose to global prominence as one of the students who led the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. After a deadly crackdown on the demonstrations, Wang was jailed and later went into exile in the US.

RELEASE

Meanwhile, the US urged China to release eight US nationals detained after pro-Tibet protests in Beijing during the Games.

“We have asked for their immediate release and are continuing to follow their cases closely,” embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson said.

She said US officials had met the pro-Tibet activists, who did not complain of being mistreated.

“The US government encourages the government of China to demonstrate respect for human rights, including freedom of expression and freedom of religion of all people during the Olympic Games,” Stevenson said.
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