The regional government of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region addressed a press conference in Urumqi on Friday to bust some latest bunch of rumors, including those peddled by notorious separatists Rebiya Kadeer and Dolkun Isa.
This is the second press conference held within two weeks by the regional government to dismiss rumors. Experts believe the move comes in the wake of ramping up of efforts by some Western media and anti-China forces to slander China's Xinjiang policies while Xinjiang embraces more openness and confidence as it strides on the path of transparency.
Xu Guixiang, a senior official of Xinjiang's publicity department, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Friday that Xinjiang had held the press conferences consecutively since the US and some other Western countries and anti-China forces had ramped up their efforts to spread rumors, smearing Xinjiang's de-radicalization work.
"It is necessary for us to refute slander from anti-China forces, and tell the outside world that Xinjiang is a stable, prosperous and beautiful region," Xu said, noting that the press conference also shows that China has been transparent, open and confident concerning its policies in Xinjiang.
"The two press conferences showed that Xinjiang has always conducted its work in an open and transparent way, including launching the vocational education and training centers, releasing information about graduation of trainees and the poverty alleviation work," Zhang Yonghe, executive dean of the Human Rights Institution of Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing, told the Global Times.
During Friday's briefing, senior officials of the Xinjiang regional government also revealed the involvement of notorious separatists Rebiya and Dolkun, leaders of the Germany-based secessionist group World Uyghur Congress, in the terror attacks that happened in Xinjiang. The press conference also exposed their attempts at severing Xinjiang from China together with the terrorist group, the "East Turkistan Islamic Movement."
Two videos as part of the evidence were also streamed during the conference. Relatives of Rebiya and Dolkun were seen in the videos busting their lies.
Dolkun has been slandering Xinjiang using distorted facts for many years. He also alleged that Xinjiang has perpetrated "mass detention" of Uygur Muslims and razed Uygur culture. He claimed his mother died during her captive in Xinjiang's vocational education and training center.
Azgul Isa, Dolkun's elder sister, said in the video their parents died of old age and illness. "It is really heartless of my younger brother Dolkun Isa to use my deceased parents to smear Xinjiang from overseas. We are very upset about it," she said.
Rebiya often peddled lies like violence against Uygurs is everywhere in Xinjiang and every family has someone who has been nabbed by the police.
However, Rebiya's two granddaughters told the Global Times in an exclusive interview that the family is living a normal life and people in Xinjiang are enjoying every freedom. In another video which was streamed at the Friday conference, the two girls urged Rebiya to stop peddling lies and not disturb their peaceful life.
"In the videos, we can see relatives of Dolkun and Rebiya living free lives. Then, how come there is so-called mass detention of Uygur Muslims in Xinjiang?" Guli Abulm, spokesperson of the Xinjiang regional government, questioned.
She termed such people with sinister motives as "scums of the people" who are trying to brew troubles in Xinjiang. People of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are aware of their malicious purpose and would not let them succeed.
Ridiculing the ETIM, Xinjiang officials said some members of the ETIM are worried after floating innumerable lies as they would eventually backfire.
Guli particularly threw light on four rumors that were floated by ETIM members, including bogus videos which claimed "Uygur people are tortured" but were later discovered to be not only fake but also unrelated to Uygur people in Xinjiang.
Zhang Yonghe noted that anti-China forces and overseas separatists are colluding together and ramping up their efforts to smear China. By hyping issues related to China's Xinjiang and the Tibet regions, they want to stand on a moral high ground, slander China's human rights records and attack its policies on religion. They are also trying to sow discords between China and the Muslim world.
Success story
Three individuals representing people about whom rumors were spread, mostly by some Western media, were invited to attend Friday's press conference and share their true stories. Among them were a scholar from Kashi University, a trainee from a vocational education and training center in Kashi Prefecture, and a trainee from Hotan.
