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:
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