Published by: THE WORLD UYGHUR NETWORK NEWS May 21, 1997

Eastern Turkistan Information Center, 5/19/97

[ETIC, 5/19/97] One of the 13 young Uyghurs deported from Pakistan

earlier this month died on the way from Pakistan somewhere between

Bulung Kol lake and Tashkurgan city of Eastern Turkistan. The reason

of the death is uncertain. The young Uyghurs sought an asylum in

Pakistan escaping from the Chinese religious and ethnic persecutions,

and were deported by the Pakistani authorities complying with the

official Chinese request.

Recently, the Chinese authorities also requested from Pakistani

government to deport about 100 more Uyghur students studying in Islamic

schools in Pakistan, who legally came to that country. After the

incident with the 13 Uyghur refugees, the majority of the Uyghur

students are afraid of being deported to China, and they are hiding,

this time, from the Pakistani authorities. The students are frustrated

from the situation when the government of an Islamic Republic of

Pakistan trades Muslims to communist China, which is currently

conducting an official campaign to fight with the "illegal" religious

schools. [Abdullah Pamir]