Letter to the Editor
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Formerly published on Aberdeen American News, Helping Uigurs, by Kashi N Pandita
re: The right way to help the Uigurs, By Ellen Bork, July 10, 2009:
Dear Editor:
Juxtaposing Xingjian situation with Tibet or invoking US policy towards Uighurs along the line for Taiwan and Hong Kong is unreasonable. (The Right Way to Help ,,.. 10 July) Human, civil and political rights cannot become the shield behind which elements determined to subvert country’s sovereignty would take shelter. Demand for autonomous state for the Uighurs of Xingjian has been there for many years. But all sovereign states are bound by domestic and international law to protect life, property and culture of its citizens. Alleged links of Uighur demonstrators with deadly religious extremist organizations and actors in Pakistan-Afghanistan-Uzbekistan region is a very serious matter for the Peoples Republic of China. Remember that China is a partner of world community in its war on terror. Beijing’s timely action of sealing all mosques in Urumchi does not seem to be motivated by denying religious freedom to any religious or ethnic group. It is to foil any attempt of proliferating religion-based terror in the region in tandem with sympathizers around. From that aspect, China has shown that curbing the menace of terror before it spreads out its venomous fangs has to be the operative part of war on terror.