Agence France-Presse, 6/28/97

Published by: THE WORLD UYGHUR NETWORK NEWS, July 1, 1997

BEIJING (June 28, 1997 02:38 a.m. EDT) - Hundreds of people in the troubled northwest region of Xinjiang have been turned in to the authorities as Chinese security forces clamp down on Moslem separatist unrest, newspapers reported Saturday.

"There have been more than 1,000 denounciations recorded recently from just the villages of Urumqi, Kotan and Aksou," a public security officials said in the Xinjiang Daily.

"Some people have even handed over the names of family members implicated in criminal acts" after attending meetings to inflame the population with ideas of "separatism" and "terrorism," he added.

Some of the so-called terrorists have said they wanted to "atone for their crimes" and have handed over information allowing the authorities to smash "organisations and illegal groups."

"Because of the services given, the security authorities have treated (the repentants) with indulgence and have taken measures to ensure they are protected," the Xinjiang Daily added.

Last week authorities seized 11 tonnes of explosives in the region which has been rocked by a series of attacks and clashes between ethnic Chinese and Moslem-majority Uighurs.

The unrest left 10 people dead, according to official figures, and more than 100 according to separatists. The region borders on some of the states of the former Soviet Union.

Police sweeps have focused on five cities, including the regional capital Urumqi, Kashgar, Aksou, Kotan and Yining, the paper added.