Terrorism is a big public hazard in the world today, posing an enormous threat to the peace, security and order of the international society.
Over a long period of timeespecially since the 1990sthe "East Turkistan" forces inside and outside Chinese territory have planned and organized a series of violent incidents in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China and some other countries, including explosions, assassinations, arsons, poisonings, and assaults, with the objective of founding a so-called state of "East Turkistan." These terrorist incidents have seriously jeopardized the lives and property of people of all ethnic groups as well as social stability in China, and even threatened the security and stability of related countries and regions.
Then how did the "East Turkistan" issue come about? What terrorist activities have the "East Turkistan" forces engaged in?
I
The term "East Turkistan" first appeared at the end of the 19th century. Here, "stan" means "place" or "region." However, "East Turkistan" is not merely a geographical concept, but a political concept first put forward by old colonialists with the aim of dismembering China.
Originally, the term "Turks" referred to people of an ancient nomadic tribe. In the fifth century, the Turks wandered about the region of the Altay Mountains. From the mid-sixth century to the mid-eighth century, they appeared frequently on the grasslands of north China, and conducted exchanges with people in China's Central Plains during the Western Wei (535-557), Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, through various channels and at many levels. In 552, the Turks founded a khanate, which, at the height of its prosperity, ruled quite a vast area. In the Sui and early Tang dynasties, the Turks became a major force in north China. Later, they split into eastern and western branches, which engaged in constant struggles for dominance of the khanate. In the mid-eighth century, the eastern and western khanates of the Turks declined and went out of existence one after the other, and their descendants gradually merged with other ethnic groups. After the 11th century, the "Turks" mentioned in foreign history books embraced all the ethnic groups who spoke the Turkic language, which is a branch of the Altay language family. At the end of the 19th century, some people proposed to unite all the ethnic groups speaking the Turkic language from the Strait of Bosporus to the Altay Mountains to form a political state. In fact, throughout history there has never been a unified country consisting of all the Turkic-speaking peoples, despite claims to the contrary.
To split Xinjiang from China and bring it under their domination, some of the old colonialists gave Xinjiang the name "East Turkistan" (correspondingly, they called the countries in Central Asia "West Turkistan"), fabricating the fallacy that Xinjiang was the home of "Eastern Turks."
After the establishment of a frontier command headquarters (duhufu) in the Western Region by the Han Dynasty in 60 B.C., Xinjiang became a part of Chinese territory. From that time on, the central government has never ceased jurisdiction over Xinjiang. But in the beginning of the 20th century, a handful of fanatical Xinjiang separatists and extremist religious elements fabricated the myth of "East Turkistan" in light of the sophistries and fallacies created by the old colonialists. They claimed that "East Turkistan' had been an independent state since ancient times," and that the ethnic group in that state had a history of nearly 10,000 years. They incited all ethnic groups speaking the Turkic language and believing in Islam to unite to form a state featuring the "integration of religion and politics." They denied the historical fact that all China's ethnic groups have joined their efforts to create the great motherland, and called for "opposition to all ethnic groups other than the Turks," and for the elimination of "pagans."
Since the formation of the "East Turkistan" theory, separatists of every description have conducted activities in the name of "East Turkistan," in an attempt to set up a political state called "East Turkistan."
From the early 20th century to the late 1940s, the "East Turkistan" forces instigated riots on many occasions with the connivance and support of foreign forces. In November 1933, Sabit Damolla and others founded the so-called "East Turkistan Islamic State" in Kashian attempt of the separatists at putting their separatist theory into practice. But, thanks to the opposition of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, it collapsed within three months.
Since the peaceful liberation of Xinjiang, the people of all ethnic groups have united as one, worked hard and built their fine homeland with joint efforts. Xinjiang's society is stable, its economy has kept developing, the local people's living standard has rapidly improved, and the situation as a whole is good. But the "East Turkistan" forces, not to be reconciled to their failure and in defiance of the will of the people of all ethnic groups, have been on the lookout for every opportunity to conduct splittist and sabotage activities with the backing of international anti-China forces.
In the 1990s, under the influence of extremism, separatism and international terrorism, part of the "East Turkistan" forces inside and outside Chinese territory turned to splittist and sabotage activities with terrorist violence as the main means, even brazenly declaring that terrorist violence is the only way to achieve their aims. The programs of the "East Turkistan Islamic Party" and of the "East Turkistan Opposition Party" seized by the police clearly point out that they will "take the road of armed struggle," and "conduct various terrorist activities in densely populated regions." In the booklet What Is the Hope for Our Independence compiled by them, they openly declare that they will create a terrorist atmosphere at kindergartens, hospitals and schools at any cost. The "East Turkistan" terrorists have engineered a series of bloody terrorist incidents, leaving many blood-soaked chapters in the historical annals.
II
Incomplete statistics show that from 1990 to 2001, the "East Turkistan" terrorist forces inside and outside Chinese territory were responsible for over 200 terrorist incidents in Xinjiang, resulting in the deaths of 162 people of all ethnic groups, including grass-roots officials and religious personnel, and injuries to more than 440 people. The main terrorist incidents include:
1. Explosions
Like most terrorist groups in the world, the "East Turkistan" terrorists are keen on directing explosions at innocent people, in order to create an atmosphere of terror and to extend their influence.
On February 28, 1991, an explosion engineered by the "East Turkistan" terrorist organization at a video theater of a bus terminal in Kuqa County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, caused the death of one person and injuries to 13 others. On the same day, the terrorists also planted a bomb at a private store in the county seat, which, fortunately, did not explode.
On February 5, 1992, while the Chinese people were celebrating the Chinese New Year, the Spring Festival, the terrorists blew up two buses (Buses No. 52 and No. 30) in Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang, killing three people and injuring 23 others. Two other bombs they plantedone at a cinema and the other in a residential buildingwere discovered before they could explode, and defused.
From June 17 to September 5, 1993, the "East Turkistan" terrorist organization was responsible for ten explosions at department stores, markets, hotels and places for cultural activities in the southern part of Xinjiang, causing two deaths and 36 injuries. Among them, the June 17 explosion at the office building of an agricultural machinery company in Kashi demolished the building, killed two people and injured seven others. The August 1 explosion at the video theater of the Foreign Trade Company in Shache County, Kashi Prefecture, injured 15 people, and the August 19 explosion in front of the Cultural Palace in the city of Hotan injured six people.
On February 25, 1997, directing its terrorist activities to the capital of Xinjiang again, the "East Turkistan" terrorist organization blew up three buses (Buses No. 2, No. 10 and No. 44) in Urumqi. Nine people died and 68 others were seriously injured in the incidents, among whom were people of the ethnic Uygur, Hui, Kirgiz and Han origins.
Between February 22 and March 30, 1998, the "East Turkistan" terrorist organization set off a succession of six explosions in Yecheng County, Kashi Prefecture, injuring three people and causing a natural gas pipeline to explode and start a big fire. The direct economic losses came to over one million yuan.
Early in the morning of April 7, 1998, the same terrorist organization engineered eight explosions one after another at places such as the homes of a director of the Public Security Bureau of Yecheng County, a vice-chairman of the Yecheng County Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and a deputy commissioner of Kashi Prefecture. The explosions injured eight people.
2. Assassinations
To sabotage national unity and create an atmosphere of terror, the terrorists have targeted their attacks at officials, ordinary people and patriotic religious personages of the Uygur ethnic group, as well as the ethnic Han people, killing them as "pagans."
On August 24, 1993, two "East Turkistan" terrorists stabbed and seriously injured Abliz Damolla, an executive committee member of the CPPCC Yecheng County Committee in Kashi Prefecture and imam of the Great Mosque there.
On March 22, 1996, two armed and masked terrorists broke into the home of Hakimsidiq Haji, vice-chairman of the Islamic Association of Xinhe County, Aksu Prefecture, and assistant imam of a mosque, and shot him dead.
Early in the morning of April 29, 1996, a dozen armed-to-the-teeth terrorists broke into the homes of Qavul Toqa, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and deputy to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Congress at Qunas Village of Alaqagha Township in Kuqa County, and three local Uygur grassroots officials, creating bloody terrorist incidents by means of explosion, shooting and stabbing. The terrorists threw two bombs into Qavul Toqa's home, seriously injuring him and his wife. Avul Toqa, Qavul Toqa's younger brother, was stabbed to death with seven wounds, and his wife was first stabbed then shot to death. Anvar Qavul, Qavul Toqa's son, died of nine stab wounds and a shot to the head, and his wife died of eight stab wounds and two shots to the head. Javup Muhammatman, a village official, received serious stab wounds.
The "East Turkistan" terrorist organization plotted the assassination of Arunhan Aji, executive committee member of the Islamic Association of China, vice-chairman of the CPPCC Xinjiang Regional Committee and chairman of the Kashi Islamic Association, on May 12, 1996. Early on the morning of that day, Arunhan Aji and his son were on their way to the Aitga Mosque to worship when four terrorists attacked them. Both of them were seriously injured, Arunhan Aji with 21 stab wounds and his son with 13 stab wounds.
Early in the morning of March 23, 1997, a gang of terrorists, led by Tursun Turdi, gatecrashed into the home of Omarjan, manager of the Jinyinchuan Reclamation Area of Aksu Prefecture, killing him and his wife. Early in the morning of July 3 of the same year, the same gang stormed into the home of Turdi Niyaz, a village official of Bashereq Township in Avat County, killing him and his wife.
Early in the morning of November 6, 1997, a terrorist group headed by Muhammat Tursun, at the order of the "East Turkistan" organization abroad, shot and killed Yunus Sidiq Damolla, a member of the Islamic Association of China and of the Islamic Association of Xinjiang, chairman of the Islamic Association of Aksu and imam of the Mosque of Baicheng County, while he was on his way to the mosque to worship. On January 27, 1998, the same terrorists shot and killed Abliz Haji, executive committee member of the CPPCC Yecheng County Committee and imam of the county's Great Mosque, while he was on his way to the mosque to worship.
On June 4, 1997, four terrorists broke into the home of Muhammat Rozi Muhammat, an official of Huangdi Village of Aqik Township in Moyu County, Hotan Prefecture, and killed him with 11 stab wounds.
On August 23, 1999, a dozen of terrorists led by Yasin Muhammat broke into the home of Hudaberdi Tohti, political instructor of the police station of Bosikem Township in Zepu County, Kashi Prefecture, killing Hudaberdi Tohti with 38 stab wounds and his son with a shot to the head. Then the terrorists set Tohti's home on fire, causing serious burns to his wife.
On February 3, 2001, a gang of terrorists broke into the home of Muhammatjan Yaqup, an official at the People's Court of Shufu County, Kashi Prefecture, killing him with 38 stab wounds.
3. Attacks on Police and Government Institutions
On August 27, 1996, six terrorists in combat fatigues drove to the office building of the Jangilas Township People's Government, Yecheng County, where they cut the telephone lines and killed a deputy head of the township and a policeman on duty. Afterwards, they kidnapped three security men and one waterworks tender in a village of the same township, and later killed them in the desert 10 kilometers away.
Early in the morning of October 24, 1999, terrorists attacked the police station in Saili Township, Zepu County, with guns, machetes, incendiary bottles and grenades. They shot one member of a local security guard dead and wounded another, wounded a policeman and killed a criminal suspect in custody. After that, they burned ten rooms, one jeep and three motorbikes belonging to the police station.
4. Crimes of Poison and Arson
From January 30 to February 18, 1998, members of the "East Turkistan Liberation Organization" were responsible for 23 poisoning cases in Kashi City. One innocent person died as a result, and four others suffered serious effects. In addition, thousands of domestic animals died or suffered badly.
On May 23, 1998, members of the "East Turkistan Liberation Organization" who had sneaked into Xinjiang after receiving special training abroad, committed 15 cases of arson with some 40 chemical comburents in the busiest areas of Urumqi, such as the Huadu Plaza, Daximen, the Hetan Road Clothing Materials Wholesale Market, the Changzheng Hotel Wholesale Market, the Hongshan Timber Market, the Urumqi Hotel, and the Business and Trade Center. They threatened to "make Urumqi a sea of fire and cause losses of hundreds of millions of yuan." Thanks to prompt action by the authorities, no serious damage was caused.
On October 11, 1999, three terrorists put three ignition devices in cotton heaps at the cotton purchasing station of the Hotan City Cotton and Hemp Company. One of them exploded, causing the loss of two tons of cotton. The other two devices were removed in time.