Of all the fronts in the global war on terror, it’s perhaps the most obscure --the war on the Uighurs. The war on the who? You’d be excused for asking, since the Uighurs aren’t exactly centre stage in world affairs.Well, they’re Muslims living under communist rule in one of China’s remotest corners – the far western province of Xinjiang. And every now and again, they make their presence felt -- in violent fashion.Recently, Uighur separatists allegedly assassinated a senior Chinese diplomat in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan.But Beijing claims they pose a much wider threat...having received training and financial support from that other Muslim renegade – Osama bin Laden.China correspondent Eric Campbell has been on the first official media visit to Xinjiang in two years.Yet as we’ll see, only by going underground can anyone gain a real insight into life in Uighur country.
Campbell: This is a police station in China’s most restive province.00:00
In the car park, paramilitaries are training to fight Islamic terrorists.
Their militant opponents, we’re told, have killed more than 100 people in pursuit of a separate, fundamentalist state. 00:19
China has long kept this fight out of public view, not wishing to dent its image of national harmony.
Now it wants the world to know, because this, officials claim, is China’s battleground in the ‘War on Terror’. 00:38
Wang Wang: The Taliban and bin Laden’s training camps have trained more than a thousand terrorists for Xinjiang.
00:51
Communist But human rights groups claim it is simply a war on freedom.
01:02
Laduguie: It is clear that the current campaign is essentially a campaign against dissent and opposition.
01:06
Desert of western China Campbell: Xinjiang lies at the far west of China in the heartland of Islamic Central Asia.
01:26
For centuries, it’s been a crossroads of civilisations.
Traders passed here along a branch of the ancient Silk Road.
01:41
Local kingdoms rose and fell.
Uighurs Most of its people are ethnic Uighurs -- descendants of desert nomads. Few Uighurs speak or even understand Chinese. But since 1949, they’ve been ruled by Communist China.
01:55
This is China’s other Tibet -- a land with a distinct culture, language and sense of nationhood, a people who, depending on your point of view, were either invaded or liberated by Chinese Communists. It has always been an uneasy co-existence, with some refusing to bend to Beijing’s will. But now China has every excuse to deal with the troublemakers once and for all. The reason is September 11th. 02:12
Police presence in Xinjiang Ever since the attacks on America, China has likened its campaign in Xinjiang to America’s war in Afghanistan. It has painted separatists as terrorists linked to Osama bin Laden. And it has backed America’s military response, declaring itself a partner in a common fight.
02:44
Former US president George Bush Senior, speaking recently in China, delivered a grateful nation’s thanks.
03:05
Bush: Everybody in the United States of America is grateful to China for standing with the United States in this war against terror. We are very grateful.
03:13
Campbell: America’s actions have been a green light for China to intensify its anti-separatist drive. Since September 11, Chinese security forces have arrested thousands of suspected dissidents. Mosques have been brought under tight Communist control.
03:30
Human rights groups are banned here. But relying on smuggled personal accounts and official Chinese reports, they have pieced together a picture of overwhelming repression.Laduguie: We believe that thousands of people have been detained.
03:56
Their cases are held entirely in secrecy. They often are tortured, as I said, torture is widespread in the region, particularly against political prisoners. And they are denied all basic rights to a fair trial.
04:17
Campbell: Journalists are normally banned from here, too. We were brought on the first Government tour of the province in two years, the authorities keen to counter foreign criticism of the anti-terrorist campaign.
04:36
Our first stop, the capital Urumqi, for a meeting with Xinjiang’s most powerful man, the Communist Party secretary Wang Lequan.Campbell: Amnesty International says you have used
04:51
Wang interview September 11th as an excuse to crack down on dissidents. It’s not about terrorism.
05:07
Frankly, Amnesty International is prejudiced. This is not true at all – I’ve said that to the journalists. Those people who we are cracking down on are not just carrying out terrorist activities in Xinjiang –they’re trying to create an environment of fear through these acts.
05:11
Campbell: To prove it, we were shown videos of terrorist acts blamed on Uighur separatists. Xinjiang has been rocked with riots and periodic bombings since the 1980s. The worst in February 1997, killed nine people.
05:33
Authorities admit there have been no major attacks since. But China maintains separatists could be planning a new campaign with hundreds returning from al-Qaeda training camps in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Wang: Since September 11, the international environment has not been in favour of them pursuing independence by violent means. They have somewhat restrained themselves. That’s why the number of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang has decreased since September 11. But we are very clearly aware that their separatist activities will not stop.
06:36
Campbell: For five days we were taken by bus across more than 1200 kilometres of Xinjiang’s deserts. The aim was to show us how China is bringing stability and prosperity to the region. Authorities believe they have a good story to tell here. But it was the only story they wanted us to hear. At every stop we were shadowed by uniformed and plain clothes police. Some police filmed us with clumsily concealed cameras. Others were dropped a short distance away before casually blending in with us. Their aim -- to prevent us meeting anyone not sanctioned for interview. 06:41
In town after town, Communist officials refused to let us move freely. But the message from every official was the same – only foreign fanatics were calling for independence. The Uighurs and other ethnic groups were happy to live with their Chinese brothers. 07:26
Official at conference Official: The unity of the nationalities is very good in our area. There are 36 ethnic groups in the prefecture who have lived in harmony for many years. 07:44
Campbell: To China’s credit, it has strived to develop what was once a backward province. It has built schools, hospitals and roads, created millions of jobs, and laboured to exploit
Campbell: Chinese have come from the east to help them build -- millions from the main Chinese ethnic group, the Hans. 08:38
Campbell: But the Han Chinese party secretary insists the benefits have been shared with all. 08:50
Wang: It should be said that in Xinjiang the Hans, the Uighurs and other ethnic groups are the same, in terms of income and employment. There isn’t any difference. 08:58
Market Campbell: But the influx of Chinese has done more to fuel resentment than any foreign fanatics. Hans already outnumber Uighurs in the capital, Urumqi. At present rates, Xinjiang’s eight million Uighurs will soon be a minority in their own land. Many claim the Chinese get the senior posts, the best jobs and nearly all the money. 09:15
Laduguie: The level of unemployment among, for example, the Uighur population is extremely high. 09:39
For those who are lucky enough to find a job in the new industries, usually they're offered menial jobs. And this is, in itself, is creating tension between the two communities.
Night patrol Campbell: To find out for ourselves, we slipped away from our minders to try speak to Uighurs first-hand. The police were waiting for us. No matter how many times we switched taxis or changed direction, there were always police cars or mysterious unmarked cars on our tail.
It’s not unusual to be followed in China. What was strange is that they’re making no attempt to stop us or arrest us, they’re just openly followed us. The clear message was that if we tried to stop to interview anyone, they'd be right behind us. 10:25
But in guarded conversations with taxi drivers, we gained a brief glimpse of life behind the official veil, a glimpse that doesn't support the official line. 10:44
Taxi Driver: Work all day and still starve. That’s why people stir up trouble. Who would stir up trouble if they could fill their stomachs? 10:56
Interpreter: Do you feel that in fact a lot of people in Xinjiang would like independence but don’t dare say it? Driver: Yes… yes… yes.Interpreter: So they do wish for independence. Driver: They all want independence, but don’t have the power to achieve it. 11:12
Driver: There’s nothing you can do -- even if you are not happy. In this Communist regime, what can you do?11:21
Driver: How can you beat the Communist Party of China by disobedience? Falun Gong, Li Hong-Zhi were evaporated, weren’t they? The students’ movement in the 80’s was suppressed, wasn’t it? 11:30
Interpreter: It is said that separatists carry out terrorist acts here. Are there terrorist activities? Driver: Terrorist acts?Interpreter: Yeah, like bombing and things. Driver: No. Interpreter: No? Haven’t heard of it? Driver: No, not here. 11:50
Campbell: But we couldn’t push them further. Before long, police were stopping the drivers to see what they had told the foreigners. The next day, officials told us it was all part of making Xinjiang safe. 12:06
Official: I heard you were out and about till 2 or 3 a.m. last night. You didn’t face any threat or any situation, did you? 12:19
Campbell: No Uighur can publicly criticise China’s policies. Xinjiang is technically an autonomous province. But that only gives it the right to retain its languages and customs. As in the rest of China, opposition parties are banned and the Communist’s power is absolute. 12:31
Mosque But there is one institution of Uighur culture that China fears as a potential threat -- the mosque. 12:57
Muslims praying at mosque Since September 11th, China has cracked down hard on Islam. Muslim clerics have been sent to compulsory political education classes. Uighurs were even banned from fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. Human rights groups claims hundreds of mosques have been shut down.Laduguie: The wearing of headscarves for women, or certain types of clothing for men, is being frowned upon. People who do not conform
13:09
Amnesty International with what is expected from them by their employers, may lose their jobs. 13:43
Mosque at Kucha Campbell: Yet with all this, China insists it gives complete religious freedom. We were taken to its showpiece in the city of Kucha. Not just any mosque, but as this plaque proclaims, a national model mosque. 13:50
All the worshippers were adults; people under 18 are banned from practising or studying Islam, and most were old men.
The 71 year old imam presented for interview, praised the Party’s religious policy.
Imam: There is freedom to believe -- and freedom not to believe. Believers wouldn’t be stopped. Non-believers wouldn’t be made to believe. 14:24
Campbell: We later tried to speak to him away from officials. The interview was immediately stopped.
14:37
Campbell: Xinjiang has a huge security apparatus to keep malcontents in line. 14:51
Officials deny there has been a build up since September 11th. But they stopped us when we tried to film an army convoy.
Uighur village It was time to go to our next showpiece venue.15:16
After four days we were finally to get the chance to speak to ordinary Uighurs. But tonight’s the night. The bus brought us to what we were promised would be a typical Uighur village. Every effort had been taken to prepare for our visit. The road was freshly sealed, the houses cleaned and the resident primed. It seemed this was, in fact, a model village. 15:22
Campbell: Inside, we found a folk group, dancers and happy village folk. This is the image China likes to give of its minority ethnic groups. But it felt more like a theme park than reality. 15:54
The dancers had been brought in from the city. They told us they performed here for visiting foreigners all the time. 16:09
Campbell: The village elder presented for interview -- 79-year-old Tursan Barat -- spoke in terms that could have been scripted for a Party Congress. 16:25
Barat: Since Liberation, life has been getting better day by day. Living standards have improved so we can now build a house like this. The Party has joined the World Trade Organisation. All aspects of life are very good. 16:34
Campbell: In Xinjiang, nobody can depart from the official line that all live happily and equally under the Communist Party’s benevolent rule. 17:06
Xinjiang’s separatists are by definition terrorists with nothing to resort to but violence. It is a criminal offence to even argue for a separate State, no matter how quietly or peacefully. The authorities simply won’t allow any middle ground.Wang: What they want is to separate Xinjiang
From the People’s Republic of China. Our position on this is very clear. There is no room for negotiation. China is a unified country. We would absolutely not allow a few people to pursue independence of Xinjiang and split it from the country. 17:34
Campbell: By the end of our trip, we were little wiser as to whether there was a genuine terrorist threat, or whether it was simply an excuse for continued repression. 18:05
It was clear China is committed to developing the region, while preserving at least the outward signs of Uighur culture. 18:19
But it was also clear the authorities’ first instincts remain authoritarian, and that truth must be tailored to the Party line. 18:29
Credits: XINJIANGReporter: Eric CampbellCamera: Justin HanrahanEditor: Simon Brynjolffssen 18:45
Campbell: This is a police station in China’s most restive province.00:00
In the car park, paramilitaries are training to fight Islamic terrorists.
Their militant opponents, we’re told, have killed more than 100 people in pursuit of a separate, fundamentalist state. 00:19
China has long kept this fight out of public view, not wishing to dent its image of national harmony.
Now it wants the world to know, because this, officials claim, is China’s battleground in the ‘War on Terror’. 00:38
Wang Wang: The Taliban and bin Laden’s training camps have trained more than a thousand terrorists for Xinjiang.
00:51
Communist But human rights groups claim it is simply a war on freedom.
01:02
Laduguie: It is clear that the current campaign is essentially a campaign against dissent and opposition.
01:06
Desert of western China Campbell: Xinjiang lies at the far west of China in the heartland of Islamic Central Asia.
01:26
For centuries, it’s been a crossroads of civilisations.
Traders passed here along a branch of the ancient Silk Road.
01:41
Local kingdoms rose and fell.
Uighurs Most of its people are ethnic Uighurs -- descendants of desert nomads. Few Uighurs speak or even understand Chinese. But since 1949, they’ve been ruled by Communist China.
01:55
This is China’s other Tibet -- a land with a distinct culture, language and sense of nationhood, a people who, depending on your point of view, were either invaded or liberated by Chinese Communists. It has always been an uneasy co-existence, with some refusing to bend to Beijing’s will. But now China has every excuse to deal with the troublemakers once and for all. The reason is September 11th. 02:12
Police presence in Xinjiang Ever since the attacks on America, China has likened its campaign in Xinjiang to America’s war in Afghanistan. It has painted separatists as terrorists linked to Osama bin Laden. And it has backed America’s military response, declaring itself a partner in a common fight.
02:44
Former US president George Bush Senior, speaking recently in China, delivered a grateful nation’s thanks.
03:05
Bush: Everybody in the United States of America is grateful to China for standing with the United States in this war against terror. We are very grateful.
03:13
Campbell: America’s actions have been a green light for China to intensify its anti-separatist drive. Since September 11, Chinese security forces have arrested thousands of suspected dissidents. Mosques have been brought under tight Communist control.
03:30
Human rights groups are banned here. But relying on smuggled personal accounts and official Chinese reports, they have pieced together a picture of overwhelming repression.Laduguie: We believe that thousands of people have been detained.
03:56
Their cases are held entirely in secrecy. They often are tortured, as I said, torture is widespread in the region, particularly against political prisoners. And they are denied all basic rights to a fair trial.
04:17
Campbell: Journalists are normally banned from here, too. We were brought on the first Government tour of the province in two years, the authorities keen to counter foreign criticism of the anti-terrorist campaign.
04:36
Our first stop, the capital Urumqi, for a meeting with Xinjiang’s most powerful man, the Communist Party secretary Wang Lequan.Campbell: Amnesty International says you have used
04:51
Wang interview September 11th as an excuse to crack down on dissidents. It’s not about terrorism.
05:07
Frankly, Amnesty International is prejudiced. This is not true at all – I’ve said that to the journalists. Those people who we are cracking down on are not just carrying out terrorist activities in Xinjiang –they’re trying to create an environment of fear through these acts.
05:11
Campbell: To prove it, we were shown videos of terrorist acts blamed on Uighur separatists. Xinjiang has been rocked with riots and periodic bombings since the 1980s. The worst in February 1997, killed nine people.
05:33
Authorities admit there have been no major attacks since. But China maintains separatists could be planning a new campaign with hundreds returning from al-Qaeda training camps in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Wang: Since September 11, the international environment has not been in favour of them pursuing independence by violent means. They have somewhat restrained themselves. That’s why the number of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang has decreased since September 11. But we are very clearly aware that their separatist activities will not stop.
06:36
Campbell: For five days we were taken by bus across more than 1200 kilometres of Xinjiang’s deserts. The aim was to show us how China is bringing stability and prosperity to the region. Authorities believe they have a good story to tell here. But it was the only story they wanted us to hear. At every stop we were shadowed by uniformed and plain clothes police. Some police filmed us with clumsily concealed cameras. Others were dropped a short distance away before casually blending in with us. Their aim -- to prevent us meeting anyone not sanctioned for interview. 06:41
In town after town, Communist officials refused to let us move freely. But the message from every official was the same – only foreign fanatics were calling for independence. The Uighurs and other ethnic groups were happy to live with their Chinese brothers. 07:26
Official at conference Official: The unity of the nationalities is very good in our area. There are 36 ethnic groups in the prefecture who have lived in harmony for many years. 07:44
Campbell: To China’s credit, it has strived to develop what was once a backward province. It has built schools, hospitals and roads, created millions of jobs, and laboured to exploit
Campbell: Chinese have come from the east to help them build -- millions from the main Chinese ethnic group, the Hans. 08:38
Campbell: But the Han Chinese party secretary insists the benefits have been shared with all. 08:50
Wang: It should be said that in Xinjiang the Hans, the Uighurs and other ethnic groups are the same, in terms of income and employment. There isn’t any difference. 08:58
Market Campbell: But the influx of Chinese has done more to fuel resentment than any foreign fanatics. Hans already outnumber Uighurs in the capital, Urumqi. At present rates, Xinjiang’s eight million Uighurs will soon be a minority in their own land. Many claim the Chinese get the senior posts, the best jobs and nearly all the money. 09:15
Laduguie: The level of unemployment among, for example, the Uighur population is extremely high. 09:39
For those who are lucky enough to find a job in the new industries, usually they're offered menial jobs. And this is, in itself, is creating tension between the two communities.
Night patrol Campbell: To find out for ourselves, we slipped away from our minders to try speak to Uighurs first-hand. The police were waiting for us. No matter how many times we switched taxis or changed direction, there were always police cars or mysterious unmarked cars on our tail.
It’s not unusual to be followed in China. What was strange is that they’re making no attempt to stop us or arrest us, they’re just openly followed us. The clear message was that if we tried to stop to interview anyone, they'd be right behind us. 10:25
But in guarded conversations with taxi drivers, we gained a brief glimpse of life behind the official veil, a glimpse that doesn't support the official line. 10:44
Taxi Driver: Work all day and still starve. That’s why people stir up trouble. Who would stir up trouble if they could fill their stomachs? 10:56
Interpreter: Do you feel that in fact a lot of people in Xinjiang would like independence but don’t dare say it? Driver: Yes… yes… yes.Interpreter: So they do wish for independence. Driver: They all want independence, but don’t have the power to achieve it. 11:12
Driver: There’s nothing you can do -- even if you are not happy. In this Communist regime, what can you do?11:21
Driver: How can you beat the Communist Party of China by disobedience? Falun Gong, Li Hong-Zhi were evaporated, weren’t they? The students’ movement in the 80’s was suppressed, wasn’t it? 11:30
Interpreter: It is said that separatists carry out terrorist acts here. Are there terrorist activities? Driver: Terrorist acts?Interpreter: Yeah, like bombing and things. Driver: No. Interpreter: No? Haven’t heard of it? Driver: No, not here. 11:50
Campbell: But we couldn’t push them further. Before long, police were stopping the drivers to see what they had told the foreigners. The next day, officials told us it was all part of making Xinjiang safe. 12:06
Official: I heard you were out and about till 2 or 3 a.m. last night. You didn’t face any threat or any situation, did you? 12:19
Campbell: No Uighur can publicly criticise China’s policies. Xinjiang is technically an autonomous province. But that only gives it the right to retain its languages and customs. As in the rest of China, opposition parties are banned and the Communist’s power is absolute. 12:31
Mosque But there is one institution of Uighur culture that China fears as a potential threat -- the mosque. 12:57
Muslims praying at mosque Since September 11th, China has cracked down hard on Islam. Muslim clerics have been sent to compulsory political education classes. Uighurs were even banned from fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. Human rights groups claims hundreds of mosques have been shut down.Laduguie: The wearing of headscarves for women, or certain types of clothing for men, is being frowned upon. People who do not conform
13:09
Amnesty International with what is expected from them by their employers, may lose their jobs. 13:43
Mosque at Kucha Campbell: Yet with all this, China insists it gives complete religious freedom. We were taken to its showpiece in the city of Kucha. Not just any mosque, but as this plaque proclaims, a national model mosque. 13:50
All the worshippers were adults; people under 18 are banned from practising or studying Islam, and most were old men.
The 71 year old imam presented for interview, praised the Party’s religious policy.
Imam: There is freedom to believe -- and freedom not to believe. Believers wouldn’t be stopped. Non-believers wouldn’t be made to believe. 14:24
Campbell: We later tried to speak to him away from officials. The interview was immediately stopped.
14:37
Campbell: Xinjiang has a huge security apparatus to keep malcontents in line. 14:51
Officials deny there has been a build up since September 11th. But they stopped us when we tried to film an army convoy.
Uighur village It was time to go to our next showpiece venue.15:16
After four days we were finally to get the chance to speak to ordinary Uighurs. But tonight’s the night. The bus brought us to what we were promised would be a typical Uighur village. Every effort had been taken to prepare for our visit. The road was freshly sealed, the houses cleaned and the resident primed. It seemed this was, in fact, a model village. 15:22
Campbell: Inside, we found a folk group, dancers and happy village folk. This is the image China likes to give of its minority ethnic groups. But it felt more like a theme park than reality. 15:54
The dancers had been brought in from the city. They told us they performed here for visiting foreigners all the time. 16:09
Campbell: The village elder presented for interview -- 79-year-old Tursan Barat -- spoke in terms that could have been scripted for a Party Congress. 16:25
Barat: Since Liberation, life has been getting better day by day. Living standards have improved so we can now build a house like this. The Party has joined the World Trade Organisation. All aspects of life are very good. 16:34
Campbell: In Xinjiang, nobody can depart from the official line that all live happily and equally under the Communist Party’s benevolent rule. 17:06
Xinjiang’s separatists are by definition terrorists with nothing to resort to but violence. It is a criminal offence to even argue for a separate State, no matter how quietly or peacefully. The authorities simply won’t allow any middle ground.Wang: What they want is to separate Xinjiang
From the People’s Republic of China. Our position on this is very clear. There is no room for negotiation. China is a unified country. We would absolutely not allow a few people to pursue independence of Xinjiang and split it from the country. 17:34
Campbell: By the end of our trip, we were little wiser as to whether there was a genuine terrorist threat, or whether it was simply an excuse for continued repression. 18:05
It was clear China is committed to developing the region, while preserving at least the outward signs of Uighur culture. 18:19
But it was also clear the authorities’ first instincts remain authoritarian, and that truth must be tailored to the Party line. 18:29
Credits: XINJIANGReporter: Eric CampbellCamera: Justin HanrahanEditor: Simon Brynjolffssen 18:45