Suspected Uighur Muslims Causes Struggle Between China and Turkey

[Jacob Maslow]

Kashgar, China - July 11, 2014: Id Kah Mosque, Kashgar, Xinjiang privince, China. This is the largest Mosque in China. It is the central place of worship for the local Uighur population which are a Turkic ethnic group living in Asia

Hundreds of suspected Uighur Muslims detained in Thailand has caused a rift between China and Turkey. The Muslims have been detained due to being in the country illegally. China and Turkey have been in the middle of the issue due to both countries wanting to repatriate those detained.

In March 2014, there was a group of 17 Uighur Muslims that were detained all from the same family. Entering the country illegally through Cambodia, the family has spent nearly a year in custody in Bangkok at the police immigration detention center. The family has 13 children in total, with two being born while detained.

China claims that the family should return to the region of Xinjiang. However, the family has claimed that they are from Turkey and were issued passports by the Turkish government.

China’s claims may be true. In the last two years, Chinese authorities have been citing unrest in the Xinjiang region with many Uighurs fleeing the country as a result. It’s estimated that hundreds of Uighurs have left the country in an attempt to reach Turkey in the past two years. These numbers may even swell into the thousands.

Thailand’s National Security Council states that both countries have come forward and claimed that the family are rightful citizens of their country. Thailand reaffirms that they are merely holding illegal immigrants and will wait for the family’s nationalities to be verified before sending them to either Turkey or China.

There was a meeting over the family’s fate on Tuesday with both Chinese and Turkey officials. Turkey states that the family are Turkish citizens and that they do have valid Turkish passports to prove their citizenship. After the meeting, Chinese officials did not comment on the meeting.

Several human rights groups have stated that sending the Uighurs to China may result in severe persecution, arrest and possibly torture of the family.

-- 2015-03-25

[jackanapes]

I firmly believe that these people if they are in fact holding Turkish passports should be repatriated to turkey I don't see where there should be any controversy turkey claims them let turkey have them .

[h90]

If they have Turkish passports than they are Turkish no matter if the passport was issued just yesterday. If they want to go to Turkey, send them over....maybe try to get the travel expenses from Turkey, but I don't see much hope....

13 children.....

[BKKBobby]

I saw them a tour group of them in the Beijing zoo and they where guided by a Han chinese. If I asked them if they were turks, threy became happy. But the tour guide become fiercely angry and told me their name is something I didnt understand, she didnt say Uighur when she refered to them. If they have turkish passports why not immigrate to Turkey. I would. Well its up to them, I dont know about Chinas double citizenship policy though.

[nie1jag]

China has a no dual passport policy. Your either Chinese or something else. I know as my wife was naturalized as a Kiwi and later an American. Her Chinese Passport was invalidated the moment she was given New Zealand citizenship. When a nation treats an ethnic group with disdain, disrespect, hostility, and brutality, it is not surprising that those seeking justice turn from annexed patriots into terrorists. In 2011 my Chinese adopted daughter, not the child of my wife rather an abandoned child adopted prior to my marriage, traveled 8000 kilometers over 50 consecutive days in Xinjiang province. I saw horrific abuses of ethnic peoples by the Han government. The problem is not one of enmity between the Han Chinese and the East Turkmenistan people (Uighers). In day to day life it appeared the two got along well. It is the paranoid and disrespectful iron hand of the Chinese Communist domestic control machine which has brought the situation to the point of oppressor and "terrorist/freedom fighter". Across the expanse of Xinjiang the East Turkmenistan people are poor, deeply religious which does not mean radical, and very generous. So are the Han minus religion excepting a few closet Buddhists. Xinjiang is in a state of siege much like Tibet was. The tensions which exist between Uigher and Han was created by the Communist Party through aggressive disregard of human rights and sowing seeds of divisiveness and conflict. China prides itself on ethnic diversity with the caveat that the minority pledges allegiance to Beijing in custom and in heart. The result is ethnic window dressing paraded out on CCTV during Chinese New Year. If the ethnic group does not comply then they are the enemy to be either destroyed, bought with money, or assimilated into Han society through incentives to poor Han to relocate by the 10 of thousands to assimilate the minority. I know that this ethnic assimilation is real. You can see it everywhere you go. My in laws are from Sichuan, migrated to Beijing, retired and were offered two very nice apartments and a stipend in the capital of Xinjiang as lng as they would relocate. They did and eventually sold one apartment and moved back to Sichuan. That was because they were retirees missing friends. The majority move and stay. Ethnic assimilation is a politically cheap means of ethnic cleansing first used by that maniacal social engineer and mass murderer Chairman Mao. The Uighers are being forced into an ever smaller corner hence the radicalization of their behavior. Customs are destroyed, rights ignored, forced allegiance to principals you don't believe in, and the thought that you should be happy that the Communist Party are improving your lot through infrastructure development is apparently not the best way to win hearts. I wouldn't wish ISIS on anyone yet the Chinese are behaving in such a way to place western China on the ISIS dance card. Now that would be truly disastrous. Let these poor outcasts go to Turkey. They will suffer worse than their families who are still in Xinjang if they return. If an average Uigher man walking in the street can be stopped by some bull of a secret government thug agency and have his life threatened because he was moving too slowly, even though he was a wearing a government licensed guide badge, then how do think returnees which caused someone to lose face will be treated? I was witness to such behavior. I would like to think I am neutral to the best of my character yet I know what I experienced across the region. I am familiar with Chinese history and culture due to study, my wife of 15 years, and living in China for the past 9 years. I am not Muslim or Chinese. I have lived in 8 countries over the past 25 years and not as an "expat". My two cents on this topic

[useronthenet]

Most of Thailand is controlled by the Chinese so I'm betting Thailand will hand them over to China. China always gets it's own way, and yes it doesn't like minorities/foreigners. Never have I seen such widespread xenophobic legislation against foreigners as Thailand, no doubt steered by those that are of Chinese descent.