What Listeners Are Saying
2009-07-08
Callers to RFA hotlines talk about the deadly ethnic clashes in Urumqi, and the government＇s response.
A Han Chinese in Urumqi , speaking to RFA’s Cantonese service: “Most of the Uyghurs are friendly people. A few of them are bad. I think only a small number of Uyghur people were involved in the riot. Definitely someone behind the scenes was backing them.”
A man surnamed Yi from Guangzhou, speaking to RFA＇s Cantonese service: "The relationship between the Han Chinese and the Uyghurs is always very fragile and dangerous. Their conflict is seen everywhere, even in Guangdong. The status of Uyghurs in Guangzhou is very low. When they commit crimes, the police try to avoid trouble—they handle it casually and don＇t take it seriously. But if society doesn＇t operate under rule of law, harmony among ethnic groups is impossible."
A 58-year-old Manchurian worker from Shaanxi, speaking on RFA’s Mandarin-language call-in program “Voices of the People”: “The riots have deep roots, long in the making. To resolve the issue, the central government must show respect to the will and wishes of the local people. If the Han, as the ruling class, oppress and exploit the minorities, then what we have on our hands is more than clashes between the classes; it is clashes between different nationalities."
A Shaanxi man surnamed Ma in his 40s, speaking on RFA’s Mandarin-language call-in program “Voices of the People”: "I am against violence. But I am also against Xinjiang independence. Xinjiang is part of China. How can it become independent? The situation requires the wisdom of leaders with a high degree of intelligence … What we have now, ethnic hatred, is bad for the image of the government. The Han Chinese have a nationalistic complex that simply will not tolerate the independence of any province. But we must give ethnic minorities their own space."
A Shandong lawyer in his 50s, speaking on RFA’s Mandarin-language call-in program “Voices of the People”: "I think that, on the surface, the conflict between the Han and the Uyghurs is an ethnic problem. In reality, it is a conflict between the ruling class and the ruled. Who is responsible for the violence? Who is responsible for planting the seed of the violence? Our TV news says that Rebiya [Kadeer] started it. Who is Rebiya? How can she manipulate events in China? My experience has taught me to believe in the opposite of what our news media say."
A man surnamed Zhang, a Han Chinese living in Urumqi, speaking to RFA’s Cantonese service: "It is the Hans who initiated the clash yesterday and beat the Uyghurs. But we don’t know the casualties."
A Uyghur man, Aimu, who lives near the site of the clash, speaking to RFA’s Cantonese service: "The clash happened near my place. The Hans beat the Uyghurs first—500 to 600 Hans were holding clubs. One Uyghur died, and one was injured. But no official is reporting this."
A Han Chinese man, speaking to RFA’s Cantonese service: “Most of the Uyghurs are kind people … Many Han communities try to organize to protect themselves and keep their homes safe. But they should not vandalize other people’s things. Hans just want to defend themselves.”
A woman surnamed Zhang in Urumqi, speaking to RFA’s Cantonese service: "The situation is so unstable here. I heard the Uyghurs were trying to fight again on Wednesday. They always bully us. Many Hans died in the riot. I haven’t seen a mess like this for years. I have already stocked a lot of food and water in case of an emergency situation. I’m trying as much as possible not to go out."
A man surnamed Guo from Young county, Guangxi, speaking to RFA＇s Cantonese service: "The Chinese authorities now define the Urumqi riot as orchestrated by overseas enemy power and as the violent acts of ethnic separatists. The Communists always use this kind of language to blame ‘some enemies overseas’—they never admit their mistakes might have triggered this tragedy."
A student surnamed Huang from Beiliu, Guangxi, speaking to RFA＇s Cantonese service: "I can＇t believe what the government says, so I wanted to make a phone call to you and get some more objective news information."
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