Published by: THE WORLD UYGHUR NETWORK NEWS May 20, 1997
South China Morning Post, 05/12/97
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Urumqi The government chief of Xinjiang
admitted yesterday that a fundamentalist Muslim party in the troubled
northwestern region was fighting for independence from China.
Abdulahat Abdurixit, the region's chairman, also revealed the trial of
those suspected of carrying out the Urumqi bus bombings in February,
which killed nine people and injured 74, had begun.
"The Party of Allah is a small fundamentalist organisation that takes
part in illegal religious activities to divide China," Mr Abdurixit
said.
He said the party was formed last year by people from all over
Xinjiang.
"However, we have put them out of a position to cause damage before
they have even started to act."
Asked about the size of the fundamentalist movement, Mr Abdurixit said
it included "less than one in 10,000 of Xinjiang's 16 million
residents", indicating about 1,600 anti-Chinese militants.
He said such groups "would never be able to turn themselves into an
important force, and the Government can control them easily".
Mr Abdurixit said all those implicated in the Urumqi bus bombings had
been arrested and their trials were under way.
Those arrested numbered around 10 and were all young Uygurs who had
been previously involved in terrorist acts, he said.
"To date, there is no indication that they received
foreign support."
Clashes between Chinese security forces and Uygur separatists on
February 5 and 6 in the border town of Yining were sparked "by illegal
demonstrations".
"These very violent demonstrators cried out for an Islamic kingdom," he
said.
The clashes left between 10 and 100 people dead. At least three people
were executed for their role in the uprising.
However, Mr Abdurixit said Xinjiang separatist groups were not behind a
bomb attack on a Beijing bus on March 7 which, witnesses said, killed
three people.
"There is no proof so far that the attack in Beijing had anything to do
with people from Xinjiang," he said.
