From: <shiba...@studentsforafreetibet.org> Date: Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 2:58 PM Subject: [sftindia] Update:Unrest In East Turkestan To: sftin...@lists.riseup.net
Update:Unrest In East Turkestan Armed Chinese troops have flooded Urumchi, the capital of East Turkestan (Chinese: Xinjiang) following days of violent unrest. The situation remains incredibly tense and Chinese president Hu Jintao has vowed to "restore order" and "severely punish" those involved in the unrest, after he was rushed back to China yesterday from the G-8 meeting in Italy. We fear that, as in Tibet last year, China's efforts to "restore order" will result in a prolonged military crackdown against the Uyghurs. Already, Chinese authorities have arrested more than 1,400 Uyghurs, blocked phone lines and the internet, and launched a propaganda campaign to portray the Uyghurs as the sole perpetrators of the violence. Sign a petition calling on the Chinese authorities to stop the crackdown on the Uyghur people and to allow an independent investigation into the situation in Urumchi: http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/uyghurs On Sunday, thousands of Uyghurs peacefully marched in the streets of Urumchi to protest the Chinese authorities' inaction amid the beating deaths of two Uyghur men at a toy factory in southern China. Chinese armed police responded to the protest in Urumchi with a heavy hand, and a riot ensued in which more than a hundred people were reportedly killed. Armed Chinese citizens have since taken to the streets to seek revenge, escalating the violence and chaos. To avoid the negative international news coverage that followed the media blackout in Tibet last year, Chinese officials have allowed foreign journalists into Urumchi but have tried to tightly control their movement and censor their coverage. Despite these efforts, on Tuesday hundreds of Uyghur women and children burst into the streets in front of the journalists, weeping and pleading for the release of those detained. Watch the moving footage: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/jul/07/uighur-confront-china-troops This tragic turn of events clearly shows that China's policies in East Turkestan, as in Tibet, have been a colossal failure. Uyghurs have rejected Chinese rule since the invasion of their homeland in 1949, and continue to struggle for their basic rights and freedoms. The systematic suppression of the Uyghurs' religion, culture, and unique identity - as well as the flooding of East Turkestan with millions of Chinese settlers - have led to deep-seated resentment and desperation amongst the Uyghur people. Instead of admitting its own failure to address the long-standing grievances of the Uyghur people, the Chinese government is blaming the violence on exiled Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer, just as it blamed the Dalai Lama for the widespread protests in Tibet. Rebiya Kadeer has spoken out to tell the true story of by her people's suffering under Chinese rule: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124698273174806523.html#articleTabs%3Darticle Please sign the petition and support her call for an open and independent inquiry into the unrest and for an end to the violent suppression of her people. http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/uyghurs We will continue to send updates on the unfolding situation in East Turkestan. For more news and analysis, please visit the SFT blog: http://blog.studentsforafreetibet.org In solidarity, Choeying,Tenchoe,Youndung,Claire,Shibayan and everyone at SFT India News coverage of the unrest in Urumchi: China's leaders vow to punish Xinjiang rioters http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/441397/1/.html Riot police battle protesters as China's Uighur crisis escalates http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2028 Uighur resentment at Beijing's rule http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2021 Toy factory brawl spark for deadly violence in China http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2020 Angry Chinese Mob Turns on ABC Reporter & Crew http://is.gd/1sdfW In Latest Upheaval, China Applies New Strategies to Control Flow of Information http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2026 China: President Should Ease Tension by Acknowledging Grievances (Human Rights Watch) http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2025 The Real Uighur Story http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124698273174806523.html#articleTabs%3Darticle --- Students for a Free Tibet, India (SFT India) is the India National Network of Students for a Free Tibet International, which has over 650 chapters in more than 35 countries. Founded in the year 2000 from a very humble beginning as a loose network of few young activists and students based in Dharamshala campaigning for Tibet's Independence,SFT India has grown as nation-wide network of youth, campaigning for the Fundamental Rights of the Tibetan people, and we are still growing. It is from our grassroots network that we gain our strength. To ensure the effectiveness of our grassroots network.we create Awareness and sensitize the world on the just cause of Tibet. We believe that young people can and must take responsibility to change our world for the better. For more information visit www.sftindia.org ,www.studentsforafreetibet.org --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
--- Students for a Free Tibet, India (SFT India) is the India National Network of Students for a Free Tibet International, which has over 650 chapters in more than 35 countries. Founded in the year 2000 from a very humble beginning as a loose network of few young activists and students based in Dharamshala campaigning for Tibet's Independence,SFT India has grown as nation-wide network of youth, campaigning for the Fundamental Rights of the Tibetan people, and we are still growing. It is from our grassroots network that we gain our strength. To ensure the effectiveness of our grassroots network.we create Awareness and sensitize the world on the just cause of Tibet. We believe that young people can and must take responsibility to change our world for the better. For more information visit www.sftindia.org ,www.studentsforafreetibet.org
