[Eug Wanker]

Things get more and more complicated...

Canadian may face death in China, family learns

Mr. Celil (pronounced je-lil) was arrested in Uzbekistan in March while visiting his wife's family. In June, he was extradited to China, where he could face the death penalty for an alleged involvement in “separatist” activities.

Until now, Canadian officials had no idea where Mr. Celil was being held because the Chinese government wouldn't disclose the location. It also wouldn't recognize Mr. Celil's Canadian citizenship, which he earned in November of last year.

Born in China's far-western Xinjiang province, Mr. Celil is a Uighur — a Muslim, Turkic-language minority group that has long fought with the Chinese government for greater freedom.

Chinese officials say Mr. Celil is a terrorist who, among other things, helped assassinate a political leader in Kyrgyzstan - an allegation his family and his lawyer staunchly refute.

P.S. I have visited Xinjiang before. The people there do look like Turks, but they speak Mandarin Chinese in addition to their own language. The Han Chinese do rule with an iron fist there though, and the men are especially pissed off because the Han Chinese men marry their Uighur women.



I'm actually a little surprised there hasn't been more visible unrest. When I visited, I strayed from the tour group (cuz I was sick of the tour group), and went off on my own. I came across Chinese Red Army guards with machine guns watching over an area where a Uighur had been tear-gassed. You could feel its effects a block away.

I guess the Chinese control the media well enough there, especially since it's so remote that most Westerners don't visit anyway.

P.P.S. It seemed like a fair number of people there smoke weed. It grows wild there, and they used the hemp for various stuff too.



I asked the tour guide if drugs were a problem them, and he said almost sarcastically... "People in China do not use drugs, because we are so happy and lucky to live in this country that such drugs are not needed."

[pinktank]

if you need more info on uighur, they were the natives of the (I believe western)side of china close to tibet and they were massacred and their land was invaded. There are still minority groups in existence which are still being pushed(euphemism) by the Chinese government.

[Eug Wanker]

Northwest, along the Silk Road.

[mojo2]

oops

[TETENAL]

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

the men are especially pissed off because the Han Chinese men marry their Uighur women.

And the Han Chinese marry them by force or do the Uyghur women marry voluntarily?

I guess it's not too attractive for a woman to marry a guy who follows a religion that suppresses women.

[Eug]

The Uighur women marry them voluntarily.

Actually, the Uighur men I had come across (in the 90s when I visited) didn't seem particularly religious, probably partically because China surpressed religion to a large extent.

I think it probably has more to do with the fact that the Han are the military and the officials so they are more well off. The local Uighurs had a lot less money. Then again, some of the ones that have moved to Beijing and opened food stands make a killing selling shish kebabs. I got the impression that some of the Beijingers thought the Han just don't make shish kebabs right.

[Nicko]

While visiting northern pakistan in 2000 (staying in Gilgit) we decided to check out the chinese border. Took a while to drive up to it. It was quite creepy actually, short chinese guys with menacing looks on their faces brandishing machine guns.

There is a valley around that area (forget the name) where a river separates the border between china and pakistan. Apparently the chinese have lookout posts all along the river and had been known to shoot on sight children who swim by accident past the dividing line in the river. Harsh.

Its an amazing part of the world where few foreingers get to see. Ofcourse, I can only imagine what it must look like post-earth quake.

[PacHead]

Muslim terrorists causing trouble in China too ? What else is new ?

[Uncle Skeleton]

dude, you forgot your thumbs-up cartoon.

[PacHead]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton

dude, you forgot your thumbs-up cartoon.

It was a quick reply and the thumbs up icon was not available. This is a normal reply.