by YANG Jianli
(July 5, 2013, Washington,DC, The Chinese Embassy)
Dear Uyghur brothers and sisters:
Today we gather here to commemorate the July 5th incident that took place 4 years ago. Four years have passed, our memory is still fresh and we are mourning those who died in that tragedy. In the past four years, the Chinese regime’s ruthless crackdown has not only failed to maintain stability and peace in the region, but instead has created even deeper hatred. This is evidenced in the ongoing tensions, including the deadly incidents Shanshan County, and Hetian District that took place in recent weeks.
I am deeply concerned about the Chinese regime’s war-like rhetoric and stance against the Uyghur people, dispatching thousands of police and special forces armed to the teeth, intending to ruthlessly suppress the Uyghur people as “terrorists.”
This spate of tragic incidents were not isolated; they were a direct result of China’s long term policy toward Uyghurs and other ethnic groups. This policy can be summarized in Ds: dominate, deceive, divide, dilute and demonize. The internecine killings between Han Chinese and Uyghurs is the bitter fruit of the seed of hatred planted by the Chinese regime. We are all victims trapped in this vicious cycle of hatred. Now it is time to break this vicious cycle. We must stand up together against this evil policy and fight for freedom for all.
People across the People’s Republic of China have all suffered at the hands of this Chinese regime, yet as a Han Chinese I must admit that our Uyghur brothers and sisters and other so called minority groups have been subject to additional layer of repression and have suffered more. We must, and hope my other Chinese compatriots as well, look at the July 5th tragedy first and foremost as a human being and see the Chinese government’s violence against the Uyghurs as a crime against humanity. We must realize that none of us will have freedom and human rights until others do.
I respect you as a people who have every right to determine your own future. Nobody but yourselves can represent you. Nobody but yourselves can tell whether you are happy or not. You cannot and shouldn’t be forced to be happy. Yet there is a long and bumpy road ahead of you before your right of self-determination will be finally secured and, my dear Uyghur brothers and sister, you must realize that you need me and many many more Han Chinese like myself to walk alongside you. Let’s join hands walk side by side, shoulder to shoulder to our common democratic future.