China has sought the support of Sri Lanka as allegations mount on the Xinjiang issue.
The Chinese Government has been accused of operating a large number of concentration camps in Xinjiang and violating the human rights of Uyghurs.
The Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Cheng Xueyuan said that he was surprised to notice that some politicians and media in western countries continuously attack China’s policy in Xinjiang, falsely claiming that a large number of “concentration camps” violating human rights have been established there.
Xueyuan says that in Xinjiang as many as 47 ethnic groups, including the Uygur, Han, Kazak, Hui, Mongolian, Tajik etc have been settled. Among the 24.4 million population of Xinjiang, nearly 13 million are Muslims.
“The Chinese Government has attached great importance to maintaining the ethnic and religious harmony, as well as the economic and cultural development in Xinjiang. There are 24,400 mosques in Xinjiang by far, which means one mosque shared by every 530 Muslims, an even higher proportion than some Islamic countries. In Xinjiang, television programs are broadcast in multiple languages, and diverse ethnic groups are allowed to use their own languages in lawsuits and election. Chinese, Uygur and Kazak languages are equally available in The National College Entrance Examination. All the facts clearly prove the so-called “oppression of Muslims” a total fake news,” Xueyuan said.
However, he said that such stability and prosperity in Xinjiang is not what some external forces wish to see.
“Since the 1990s, under the combined infection of separatists, extremists and terrorists, both domestically and internationally, Xinjiang has seen thousands of violent and terrorist crimes, leading to huge casualties of innocent citizens and death of hundreds of policemen. Those terrorists such as East Turkistan Islamic Movement have already been identified by UN and many countries as international terrorist organization,” he said.
The Ambassador claims that as a precaution measure to fight terrorism, the Chinese Government has established vocational training centers in Xijiang, in accordance with the Constitution and the Counter-terrorism Law.
“These centers are in fact boarding schools, where lessons on national language, laws, vocational training and deradicalization are offered for free, so that trainees can master a skill and achieve self-reliance after the training. It is a common sense that any citizen, no matter in which country, should be able to use the national language; laws of all countries shall not be ignored or even overridden. Lack of access to necessary vocational skills will cause unemployment and poverty, which would become soil nurturing extremist ideas,” he claimed.
According to the Ambassador, in Xinjiang, trainees sign agreements with the training centers, share free food and accommodation, and enjoy all fundamental rights. Trainees can have home visits on regular basis and can ask for leave for personal affairs. Families are also free to visit and to video chat with them.
The Ambassador recalled that on 7th July, he had an opportunity to visit Negombo, mourn at the St. Sebastian Church, and visit the children injured in the 21/4 terrorist attacks.
“I can strongly feel the pain of the Sri Lankan people from all ethnic communities. The attacks reminded us once again that terrorism and extremism are common threats for both China and Sri Lanka. We believe that people from all circles of Sri Lanka society can tell what is right from wrong, and can fully understand China’s efforts in fighting terrorism, extremism and separatism,” he said.
The Ambassador called on Sri Lanka to work together with China to enhance cooperation on security and law enforcement, encourage more exchanges between different ethnic and religious groups of the two countries, and uphold peace and safety of the two peoples.
Courtesy: Colombo Gazette
