|
|
{HOME} {ARABIC} {HISTORY} {INTL AMNESTY} {FEED BACK} {GEOGRAPHY}{LINKS} {PICTURE ALBUM}
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 /
Activities Update
Related subjects: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
* U.S. Legislation and Other Congressional Activity
* British documentary on Eastern Turkistan Airs
* Other Press Activity
* Eastern Turkistanis, Tibetans, Southern Mongolians, Taiwanese Meet and
Coordinate
* Protests During Visit of Chinese President Jiang Zemin
* UN Rally
* Capitol Hill Panel
* Asylum
Congressional concern for the Chinese occupation of Eastern Turkistan and the oppression of the Uighur people continues to grow. The Eastern Turkistan National Freedom Center has expanded its work with members of Congress and their staff, providing detailed information and urging the U.S. government to act on behalf of Eastern Turkistanis.
As early as the spring of 1996, with the help of American supporters, a delegation of Uighurs organized by ETNFC met with members of Congress including Congressman Christopher Smith. On February 24, 1997, Congressmen Dana Rohrabacher, Gerald Solomon and Dan Burton wrote to Congressman Christopher Cox in his capacity as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, urging action on the Eastern Turkistan issue. On May 15, 1997, Congressman Rohrabacher circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter to all members of the House of Representatives, focusing on the plight of Eastern Turkistan.
Anwar Yusuf, president of ETNFC, met with Congressman Rohrabacher on September 8, 1997. Yusuf presented up to date information on the situation in Eastern Turkistan, including video tapes smuggled out of China (see below) and urged U.S. action. The Congressman informed Yusuf that he intended to introduce an amendment to House Resolution 1685 designed to protect the religious freedom of Muslim Uighurs. That amendment was subsequently adopted by the House International Affairs Committee.
On October 29, in the midst of a day full of demonstrations (see below), Uighurs took the time to meet with the staff of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher. Among the Uighurs were Anwar Yusuf, Gulamitten Pakhta, Nighmet Efendi, Nasibulla Turkel, Murat Qadir, Tughluq Abdurazaq, Turdi Ghuji, Rishat Abbass, Ilshat Ibrahim, Ablikim Efendi, and others. At the meeting, the Uighurs again presented information concerning the continued repression in Eastern Turkistan. They expressed their support for the Rohrabacher amendment designed to protect the religious freedom of Muslims inside China. They also urged Congress to add a Uighur language service to Radio Free Asia broadcasts.
British Documentary
British TV 4 broadcast a 10 minute news report regarding the situation in Eastern Turkistan. Produced with the assistance of the Eastern Turkistan National Freedom Center, the film aired on October 28 as the lead story. So far, portions of the film have also been shown by America's ABC News and ZDF in Germany, TBS in Japan, and NOS in Holland.
Other Press Activity
The Eastern Turkistani cause is attracting greater and greater attention of journalists in the U.S. and other nations. Voice of America, National Public Radio, TIME, Newsweek, New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, Baltimore Sun, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, and Los Angeles Times are among the American news organizations that have recently covered this story. Foreign press that have recently reported on Eastern Turkistan include Economist, Kyodo News Agency, Zaman Newspaper, She Jie Re Bao (World Daily), Sing Tao Newspaper, Central News Agency (Republic of China), Formosa Television, and a number of Chinese language publications and television outlets in the U.S.
In September, KBC of Japan broadcast a documentary about the situation in Eastern Turkistan, prepared with the assistance of ETNFC. Uighurs have been increasingly effective in delivering their message by making available to the media video tape of repressive events in Eastern Turkistan. Tapes smuggled out and distributed have included images and sounds from the two most recent large incidents which occurred between 1995 and 1997 in the Khotan and Ili regions of Eastern Turkistan.
Eastern Turkistani, Tibetan, Southern Mongolian, Taiwanese Alliance
Representatives from regions occupied and oppressed by China have gathered twice to coordinate strategy. American supporters joined both meetings. The first gathering occurred on June 14, 1997, at U.S. Tibet Committee (office of Tibet). The second meeting, hosted by ETNFC, was held in the conference room of the United Methodist Building, 110 Maryland Avenue NE in Washington DC, on October 28. Both meetings allowed movement representatives to strengthen their alliance against the oppression of Communist China.
Protests Organized in Washington DC
Eastern Turkistanis staged a protest of China's continued occupation of their homeland and the continued denial of human rights to their countrymen on the occasion of President Jiang Zemin's October visit to Washington. Held in front of the U.S. Capitol the morning of October 29, 1997, the protest drew a small but committed group of Uighurs from Kirghizistan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Philadelphia and the DC area. The demonstration was also attended by concerned Americans, Taiwanese, and Tibetans, some of whom joined the Eastern Turkistanis in speaking out against Chinese policy.
Following their own demonstration, the Uighurs and others joined a major demonstration in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House where Presidents Clinton and Jiang were meeting. Still later, Eastern Turkistanis participated in a Taiwanese organized demonstration in front of the U.S. Capitol. Anwar Yusuf, representing the Eastern Turkistanis, was invited to speak.
UN Rally
On June 14, Eastern Turkistanis, Tibetans and Mongolians gathered in front of the United Nations in New York to protest the occupation of their nations by China. They were joined by Taiwanese advocating independence for their own nation and by American supporters. A representative of each occupied nation, plus Taiwan, cut one star from the Chinese flag to symbolically send the message that these countries do not belong to China. Anwar Yusuf represented Eastern Turkistan.
The protesters brought the stars to the UN headquarters. They also attempted to present the flag -- minus the small stars -- to China's UN mission in New York, but no one answered the door. They left the flag and walked away. They returned a few minutes later to discover that the flag had been taken inside the mission.
Capitol Hill Panel
Anwar Yusuf joined Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, 1996 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, and others for a round table discussion on October 30, 1997, at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington. Yusuf raised the issue of Eastern Turkistan during a discussion of "Taiwan, US, and the International Community."
Asylum
The Eastern Turkistan Nation Freedom Center has become an important source of expertise in assisting Uighurs to obtain asylum in the United States. That assistance has continued throughout 1997. So far, each request for asylum supported by ETNFC has been granted.