BEIJING: China has placed six men from the Uighur ethnic minority on a "terror" list, accusing them of involvement in terrorist training camps and of inciting attacks in the restive western Xinjiang region.
China's Ministry of Public Security said the men, whose names identify them as Uighurs, were members of the outlawed East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), blaming one for orchestrating violent attacks in the city of Kashgar last July.
Chinese authorities have accused the ETIM, which wants an independent homeland for Xinjiang's Uighurs, of orchestrating attacks in the region on many occasions.
The United States and the United Nations have listed the group as a "terrorist" organisation, and China has previously said it has operations in Pakistan as well as Afghanistan.
The public security ministry said in a statement late Thursday it had frozen the funds and assets of the six men, whose whereabouts are not known.
Xinjiang has been under heavy security since July 2009, when Uighurs launched attacks on Han people -- who make up most of China's population -- in the regional capital Urumqi.
The government says nearly 200 people were killed and 1,700 injured in the violence, which shattered the authoritarian Communist Party's claims of harmony and unity among the country's dozens of ethnic groups.
Many Uighurs remain angry at the harsh crackdown that followed the violence.
Xinjiang, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, is home to around nine million Uighurs, but the number of Han living there has increased dramatically over the past decade.
Government critics say this results from a policy of migration to dilute any Uighur nationalist tendencies and has bred resentment in the region.
China blames much of the violence in the resource-rich region on what it calls the three "evil forces" of extremism, separatism and terrorism.
But some experts doubt terror cells operate in Xinjiang, where the Turkic-speaking Uighurs practise a moderate form of Islam.
COMMENTS (17)
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@Khurram:
What do you think the PM is going to now …. make another speech……….or take action.
@Khurram:
Very good that you remember you PM made such a statement. Now what do you think PAK is going do besides make more speeches.
China's enemy is Our enemy, religious affinities and sentiments do not matter.
@Aftab Khan:
You mean China should respect the cultural and religious sentiments in the same manner as PAK does?
China is very stingy, if not, it too would have declared a bounty. However, I agree, if there is one legitimite resistance movement , it may be in China Uighar population, because China does not allow freedom of speech, expression and right to form political parties to self govern, like India does. Can Uighar Muslims form a political party, fight democratic elections and become chief-minister of Uighar state , like Kashmiris do in India ?
Hope the resistance movement is not hijacked by Jihadi elements.
@Aftab Khan: why dont you say the same thing about minorities in Pakistan who are targeted, raped and forcefully converted to Islam. At that time you people shout "liberal media" bla bla. What is wrong should be condemned whether it's china or Pakistan !
@Zain: What rights are being defended by the terrorists who commit suicidal attacks on mosques and markets of Pakistan . It is insanity produced by religious extremism which explains the phenomenon of terrorism . Universally Pakistan is being deemed as a major centre for aiding and exporting terrorism . We are isolated in the world not because we are a 'fort of Islam' but because we breed , train and launch terrorists around the world . The sooner we realize it the better it will be for our own survival .
Where is the evidence china? Stop prosecuting muslim brothers and bounty on them. The kind of whimsical evidence you have against innocent 'terrorist' will be not enough in any pakistani court to convict them. Shame on china! They havent learned anything from their great friendship with great nation of pakistan.
I dont know the root of this matter , speaking in general : when a muslim fight for rights he is terrorist and if a non-muslim does violence he is freedom fighter :) that's wow !! Every one knows which superpower funds these groups , If muslims specially pakistan create and fund them why are only muslims suffer sucide bombs then ? Its not about muslims and pakistan , its about superpowers playing their cards !
Zaindabad china! Kill all the so called terrorist, we are with you....
@malik: No amount of evidence is evidence in Pakistan.
@somebody1: Pakistanis know no friend. They are a lost case.
China must respect the cultural and religious sentiments of Uighurs. Effort to convert them to minority with in their own homeland will be resisted by any ethnic group Muslim or non Muslims.
Dear Chinese Officials.
Where Is The Evidence ?
looks like pakistan's evergreen friend has understood that pakistan will always support terrorism no matter who it is.
"China has previously said “terrorist” organisation has operations in Pakistan as well as Afghanistan" - delightful words coming from higher than and lower than blah, blah blah.