Diary From Urumqi Part 3

I knew that these problems could only be solved if the Uyghurs can organize at least like chickens in the American drama cartoon called “Chicken Run” but, the uyghurs’ situations is worse than those chickens in the cartoon, the Chinese government has already blocked any chance that the uyghurs may get organized. “The government had spies everywhere. Uyghurs can’t trust each other.” whispered one of my friends when we talked about the cartoon in her quite living room.

“I don’t trust my home too, the walls have ears” she added to respond to my surprised face.

I almost laughed, but there was no humor on her cute face. Her big brown eyes were seriously rejecting the question mark on my face.

“did you ever see that cartoon?” I whispered.

-Are you kidding? China bans those kind of things, I never have seen it, but I really want to.

-You should see it if there is any chance to find out that cartoon.

-9 pm almost, you have to go back to the Hotel.

-To tell the truth, I’m scared to sleep in the hotel room alone in this country, would you please come with me and sleep in my hotel room since you won’t let me sleep here?

-You know we have to register to the police station if you sleep here. Why do you have trouble sleeping in the hotel room anyway?

Trouble of sleeping in hotel room alone is my biggest trauma that followed from my nightmare in Beijing in 1997. I had accompanied my parents and arrived to Beijing in the hot summer of 1997 to be Uyghur Chinese interpreter for my father who applied to the business immigrant visa to Canada. Moving abroad was a big decision. But my father was very exited and seems to ready to give up everything for the chance of going abroad. My mom as well genuinely supportive to my father’s decision despite the non stop tears of her mom , brothers and sisters whose imagining this is a life time separation. I understood that how Uyghur families desperately need security and peace since One of my handsome brother was killed by Chinese in his age 20, myself and other two of my young brothers were always under threat because of our open views and critics on injustices of the the society.

I remember my brothers repeatedly arrest by the Chinese police forces one after another and my father had to pay huge money to release them each time when they were arrested. Chinese police officers always have a bunch of political reasons to arrest young Uyghur men and sometimes even without reason.

“I have money , but no security here. We cannot sleep at night, we cannot enjoy our meals and we always worrying about our children. if one of your brother do not come home one single night, I had to believe that he was killed by Chinese police in somewhere…” said my father, when I hesitate to live and said: “ Dad, you think are we doing right thing? No matter what maybe we shouldn’t leave from our home land. each Uyghurs abandoning this land creating space for Chinese.”

“ even we don’t live , they have already taken our land our country…” added my mom.

I took with me my 4–5 month old baby who is in breath feeding and follow my Dad and Mom traveled to Beijing. We had a difficulty to find hotel in Beijing since each hotel has a policy to not to accept “ Xinjiangren” ( although literately translation of Xinjiangren suppose to residents of Xinjiang, but the policy was specifically targeted Uyghurs). I was very tired in that hot day carrying my baby and searching for hotels, finally young Chinese girl one of the hotel reception gave us the idea that we may should go to the Xinjiang Ban shichu ( Xinjiang office)

Late night we finally found hotel room in the building of the Xinjiang office. I took same room with my mom. my baby was already sleeping in my hand and he even did not wake up for his milk when I put him in my bed. I took shover and immediately fall in sleep.

Bang! I found myself jump out of  the bed and holding my screaming baby when 4–5 black uniform police officers kick out our hotel room door and pointing a gun to us: