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HONG KONG — Internal Chinese government documents obtained by The New York Times have revealed new details on the origins and execution of China’s mass detention of as many as 1 million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region.The 403 pages reveal how the demands of top officials, including President Xi Jinping, led to the creation of the indoctrination camps, which have long been shrouded in secrecy. The documents also show that the government acknowledged internally that the campaign had torn families apart — even as it explained it as a modest job-training effort — and that the program faced unexpected resistance from officials who feared a backlash and economic damage.A member of the Chinese political establishment who requested anonymity brought the documents to light in hopes that their disclosure would prevent Communist Party leaders, including Xi, from escaping responsibility for the program. It is one of the most significant leaks of papers from inside the ruling Communist Party in decades.Here are five takeaways from the documents.Privately, officials were blunt about the consequences.The Chinese government has described its efforts in Xinjiang as a benevolent campaign to curb extremism by training people to find better jobs. But the documents reveal the party’s efforts to organize a ruthless campaign of mass detention in the name of curbing terrorism, a program whose consequences they discussed with cool detachment.The papers describe how parents were taken away from children, how students wondered who would pay their tuition, and how crops could not be planted or harvested for lack of workers. Yet officials were directed to tell people that they should be grateful for the Communist Party’s help and that if they complained, they might make things worse for their family.Xi set the course by calling for a war on extremism.Xi, the party chief, laid the groundwork for the crackdown in a series of speeches delivered in private to officials during and after a visit to Xinjiang in April 2014, just weeks after Uighur militants stabbed more than 150 people at a train station, killing 31.He called for an all-out “struggle against terrorism, infiltration and separatism” using the “organs of dictatorship” and to show “absolutely no mercy.”The documents do not record him directly ordering the creation of the detention facilities, but he ascribed Xinjiang’s instability to the widespread influence of toxic beliefs and demanded they be eradicated.Attacks overseas spurred worries at home.Terrorist attacks abroad and the drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan heightened leadership’s fears and helped shape the crackdown. Officials argued that attacks in Britain resulted from policies that put “human rights above security,” and Xi urged the party to emulate aspects of the U.S’ “war on terror” after the Sept. 11 attacks.Xi signaled a break from the policies of his predecessor, Hu Jintao, who responded to deadly 2009 riots in Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi, with a clampdown but also stressed economic development as a cure for ethnic discontent — long-standing party policy.”In recent years, Xinjiang has grown very quickly and the standard of living has consistently risen, but even so, ethnic separatism and terrorist violence have still been on the rise,” Xi said in a speech to party officials. “This goes to show that economic development does not automatically bring lasting order and security.”A new boss in the region ordered mass roundups.The internment camps in Xinjiang expanded rapidly after the appointment in August 2016 of a zealous new party boss for the region, Chen Quanguo. He distributed Xi’s speeches to justify the campaign and exhorted officials to “round up everyone who should be rounded up.”Chen led a campaign akin to one of Mao’s turbulent political crusades, in which top-down pressure on local officials encouraged overreach, and any expression of doubt was treated as a crime.Some officials were purged for resisting the campaign.The crackdown encountered doubts and resistance from local officials who feared it would exacerbate ethnic tensions and stifle economic growth. Chen responded by purging officials suspected of standing in his way, including one county leader who was jailed after quietly releasing thousands of inmates from the camps.That leader, Wang Yongzhi, built sprawling detention facilities and increased security funding in the county he oversaw. But in a 15-page confession, which he most likely signed under duress, he worried that the crackdown would harm ethnic relations and that the mass detentions would make it impossible to achieve the economic progress he needed to earn a promotion.Quietly, he ordered the release of more than 7,000 internment camp inmates — an act of defiance for which he would be detained, stripped of power and prosecuted.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
November 17, 2019Read More
US President Donald Trump issued a rare — if tepid — defense of election rival Joe Biden on Sunday, saying Pyongyang’s depiction of him as “a rabid dog” who should be “beaten to death” went a bit too far. The president was responding to a conservati…
November 17, 2019Read More
President Trump is usually the one hurling insults at former Vice President Joe Biden, but on Sunday he actually defended his potential general election opponent — at least somewhat.Earlier this week, North Korean state media described Biden as a “rabid dog” who should be “beaten to death with a stick.” Trump was late to the news, but when he caught wind of it Sunday morning, it proved to be too much even for him. Trump’s defense of Biden wasn’t exactly ardent or inspiring, but it’s reassuring to learn that he doesn’t agree with Pyongyang on this one, despite his normally negative feelings about Biden.> Mr. Chairman, Joe Biden may be Sleepy and Very Slow, but he is not a “rabid dog.” He is actually somewhat better than that, but I am the only one who can get you where you have to be. You should act quickly, get the deal done. See you soon! https://t.co/kO2k14lTf7> > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2019Still, the president made sure everyone knows he still doesn’t think highly of Biden. He also got a word in there about how he alone is capable of solving the U.S.-North Korea stalemate, implying that if North Korea waits around for a Democratic candidate like Biden to get elected, there will never be a satisfactory deal.More stories from theweek.com The coming death of just about every rock legend The president has already confessed to his crimes Why are 2020 Democrats so weird?
November 17, 2019Read More
Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday backed the gasoline price rises that have caused nationwide protests, which he blamed on the Islamic Republic’s opponents and foreign foes. “Some people are no doubt worried by this decision … but sabotage and…
November 17, 2019Read More
(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump addressed Kim Jong Un on Twitter, saying that Democrat Joe Biden isn’t a “rabid dog” as recently dubbed by state media in Pyongyang, but urging North Korea to “act quickly” to sign a nuclear deal with the U.S.Trump…
November 17, 2019Read More
The United Nations has warned mounting unrest in Bolivia could “spin out of control” after nine people died in the latest escalation of violence between between security forces and supporters of former president Evo Morales.Protesters loyal to Mr Moral…
November 17, 2019Read More
It was slick and foggy at the time of the crash, officials said. Injuries ranged from minor to serious.
November 17, 2019Read More
In lower-income countries, snakes, cow carcasses and collapsing walls are among the hazards faced by this critical but long-ignored group of workers.
November 17, 2019Read More
EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — A roadside bomb killed at least three members of Egypt’s security forces in the restive northern Sinai province, security and medical officials said Sunday. The explosion hit the forces’ armored vehicle in the town of Sheikh Zuw…
November 17, 2019Read More
(Bloomberg) — Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will try to win business leaders to his side with an offer of tax cuts at the start of a crucial week in the U.K. general…
November 17, 2019Read More
The owner of a struggling safari park in Crimea is giving more than thirty bears to save them from euthanasia. Oleg Zubkov, the owner of the Taigan Lion Park near Simferopol, said he is seeking new homes for the animals because he can no longer afford to feed them. It comes after inspectors ordered the safari park, which is famous for its large collection of lions, found violations of veterinary regulations and ordered it closed for three months. Speaking on his Youtube channel, “the Lion Man,” Mr Zubkov said he could not afford to feed and look after the animals without the revenue from ticket sales and was left with no choice but to find them new homes or put them down. “Twelve lions and tigers will be moved to other zoos shortly, and a final decision will be made about… shooting 30 bears from the park,” he says in the video. “I’ve forced into these extreme measures because there are no other options left,” he said. Oleg Zubkov with BBC television presenter Simon Reeve Credit: Jonathan Young Mr Zubkov said he had already fed several dozen of his Vietnamese pigs to the lions and tigers in a bid to cut costs, and that he had informed regional veterinary authorities about his decision to cull his bears. Valery Ivanov, the head of the state veterinary committee in Crimea, told Interfax no documents related to the killing of animals had been received. The Taigan Safari Park, which is home to 2,500 animals, was opened in 2012. Mr Zubkov also runs a second zoo, called Skazka, in Yalta. Both have been the subject of numerous complaints about the conditions in which the animals are kept, according to local officials. Last year Taigan was at the centre of a small scandal after one of the lions bit a 46 year old female tourist posing for photographs with the animal. Mr Zubkov’s career has not passed without controversy Credit: Media Drum World / Alamy Stock Photo Mr Zubkov insists that his bears live in better conditions than in many other zoos in Russia, and that the biting incident was the only one of its kind. He has complained that authorities have been trying to shut him down ever since Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsular after Vladimir Putin annexed it from Ukraine in 2014. Mr Zubkov was an enthusiastic supporter the annexation at the time, and even featured in Russian television reports promising that his “fighting lions” would maintain order during the controversial referendum on “reunification” with Russia. In the months afterwards he made an unsuccessful bid to enter local politics and even tried to call Vladimir Putin during his annual phone-in show to invite him to the safari park. But by 2015 he had begun to complain that he and his zoo had become the target of a campaign of harassment by local officials apparently determined to put him out of business.
November 17, 2019Read More
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