KAZAKHSTANI UIGHUR GROUPS REFUSE TO SING AND DANCE IN

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 06 ASTANA 002095

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EAP/CM, DRL, INR

E.O. 12958: 11/25/2029
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PINR SOCI KDEM CH KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTANI UIGHUR GROUPS REFUSE TO SING AND DANCE IN
CHINA, IN RESPONSE TO C-REF-01741

REFTELS: A. ASTANA 01210

B. ASTANA 01292

C. ASTANA 02066

D. STATE 88234

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Pamela L. Spratlen, 1.4 (b),
(d)


1. (S) SUMMARY: Following unrest in July and August in China's
Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR),Kazakhstan's ethnic Uighurs
-- one of the largest and fastest growing ethnic groups in Kazakhstan
and an important political force -- criticized the Chinese government
and staged a large protest in Almaty (ref A). Kazakhstani interest
groups expressed concern that the situation could complicate
relations between Kazakhstan and China. Government officials largely
declined to comment on the political aspects of the unrest. During
PolOff's subsequent visits to Almaty, where 90% of Kazakhstan's
Uighur population lives, Uighur activists reiterated their concerns
about China's treatment of the Uighurs, while acknowledging they try
to avoid "creating trouble" between Kazakhstan and China.
Kazakhstani Uighurs expressed concern for refugees fleeing "political
persecution by the Chinese government" and appealed to the United
States to urge China to alter its policies in the XUAR. END SUMMARY.

UIGHURS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN KAZAKHSTANI SOCIETY


2. (SBU) PolOff met with the Deputy Chairman of the Uighurs'
Republican Cultural Center, Turgan Rozakhunov, and the Chairwoman of
Kazakhstan's "National Association of Uighurs," Tamara Mametova, to
discuss their views on the situation in the XUAR in September.
(COMMENT: The Center, established in 2003, has offices in 11
regions, with its largest offices in Almaty, Shymkent, and Zhambyl,
where most of Kazakhstan's estimated 300,000 Uighurs live. Its
administrative board's 39 members advocate for the interests of
Kazakhstan's Uighurs. They are typically well-connected to President
Nazarbayev and other political elites, and they advocate moderate,
non-separatist views on Uighur political activities. END COMMENT.)
Rozakhunov praised Anvar Khadzhiyev, with whom PolOff met shortly
before his July death, and echoed his views about the excellent
position of Uighurs in Kazakhstani society, especially since Uighurs
receive education in their native language and have good relations
with other ethnic groups (ref A). According to Rozakhunov, Uighurs
are the fifth largest ethnic group in Kazakhstan, and the third
largest in Almaty city. He also asserted that many of Kazakhstan's
prominent scientists, businesspeople, and political figures --
including 16 deputies in Parliament and Prime Minister Karim Masimov
-- are Uighurs.

UIGHURS AND AUTHORITIES HAVE "MOSTLY POSITIVE" RELATIONSHIP


3. (SBU) The Uighurs' Republican Cultural Center, Rozakhunov said,
was not designed to engage in political activities. Nonetheless,
according to the Rozakhunov, "when approached by political parties
and asked to support President Nursultan Nazarbayev, 99% of Uighurs
voted for the President." Despite a generally positive relationship
with Kazakhstani authorities, Rozakhunov alleged that the Center's
charitable actions twice provoked minor complaints of interference
from government authorities. In the first case, the Center funded
construction of a school in the Yenbekshi region so that children
could attend classes without moving to another village. Uighur
donors also bought a "community facility" and turned it over to the
local akimat (mayor's administration). Rozakhunov said the Vice
Minister of Education raised this case and questioned the Center's
involvement, pointing out that the Ministry is responsible for all
matters related to education. In the second case, the Uighurs'
Republican Cultural Center worked with the local akimat in a very
remote region to construct a system of piped water to prevent sewage
from entering the potable water supply after 40 children there were
diagnosed with hepatitis. In both cases, Rozakhunov said the
Ministries of Education and Health expressed appreciation for the
Center's activities after they observed the projects' results.
Rozakhunov told PolOff his center had raised one million dollars for

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various additional social projects, and is funding the higher
education of 45 Uighur youths. "We want to participate in the
activities of the authorities, not create a separate state within a
state," the Center's Deputy Chairman explained. Rozakhunov dismissed
the role of the Kazakhstan Peoples' Assembly, as a consultative body,
in its ability to deal with inter-ethnic tensions, and called for
establishment of a governmental body to solve such issues. (NOTE:
President Nazarbayev created the Kazakhstan Peoples' Assembly (KPA)
to serve as a consultative organization to make policy
recommendations on strengthening social stability, and inter-ethnic
and inter-confessional harmony. Nazarbayev is the Chairman for life.
It has approximately 350 members selected by regional people'
assemblies, and meets at least once a year. END NOTE.)

KAZAKHSTAN'S UIGHURS EXPRESS CONCERN ABOUT SITUATION IN CHINA...


4. (SBU) Kazakhstan's Uighur population remains concerned about the
treatment of ethnic Uighurs in China, particularly in Xinjiang
province. Rozakhunov estimated that 60% of Kazakhstani Uighurs
emigrated from China in 1952-1962. Therefore, most Uighurs have
relatives in China and maintain social, linguistic, and cultural
ties. Rozakhunov asserted that "large scale unrests have occurred
every three to four years since the Uighurs' lands of Eastern
Turkestan were expropriated and renamed Xinjiang. Uighur
demonstrations are not the demonstrations of criminals," argued
Rozakhunov, but rather "a struggle for freedom and human rights."
Rozakhunov alleged the Chinese government broadcast incorrect
information about the July events in the XUAR. Rozakhunov said that
Kazakhstani Uighurs helped "to correct the mis-information and raise
awareness about the situation in the XUAR by holding a
government-sanctioned mourning ceremony on July 10."

...AND WARN OF COMPLICATIONS FOR KAZAKHSTAN-CHINA RELATIONSHIP


5. (SBU) Kazakhstani Uighurs are aware of China's growing importance
to Kazakhstan as an investor, strategic, and trade partner, and
fellow member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). They
also know that Uighur activism can complicate Kazakhstan's relations
with China. According to Rozakhunov, the government allowed the
Uighur community to demonstrate in July, "but consent was not granted
easily." Rozakhunov said the country's Uighur organizations "should
not put Kazakhstan into a difficult situation." Nevertheless,
Rozakhunov explained that the Board of Directors unanimously voted
against the Chinese government's proposal for the Center to
participate in the celebration of the 60th anniversary of China's
independence. Rozakhunov and Mametova asserted that the Uighurs'
Republican Cultural Center and the National Association of Uighurs
will not sing and dance in China after the July events. "The Chinese
Ambassador to Kazakhstan appealed to us in person, and the Chinese
government offered us a lot of money, but still we cannot accept,"
Rozakhunov told PolOff.

REFUGEES FACE DIFFICULT CONDITIONS IN KAZAKHSTAN


6. (SBU) Tamara Mametova, Chairwoman of Kazakhstan's "National
Association of Uighurs," expressed concern about the plight of Uighur
refugees (Ref B). (COMMENT: Mametova has been a long-term, reliable
Embassy contact, and her organization has resettled more than 10
families of XUAR refugees in Europe and the United States since 1997.
END COMMENT.) According to Mametova, refugees lead very difficult
lives in Kazakhstan. Police often detain them for short periods of
time, even if they have documents to confirm their official status.
Despite help from the office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) in Almaty, many are frightened and have
difficulty to hold steady jobs and send their children to school.
The lengthy resettlement process, which can take years, compounds the
refugees' situation. Mametova lamented that U.S. processing times
have increased tremendously since 2001. She said one refugee, after
waiting many years, recently asked her organization to retrieve his
documents to try another country, such as Holland, Norway, or Canada.


7. (SBU) Mametova also raised the specific case of Tair Medzhit and

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his three children, who have been waiting in Kazakhstan for refugee
status for two years. Mametova claims that his father is a political
figure in the XUAR, and Chinese authorities arrested and killed his
brother. According to Mametova, Medzhit tried to escape to
Kazakhstan, but was instead smuggled into Pakistan, and eventually
Afghanistan. Mametova claims he escaped, along with several other
Uzbek Uighurs, and asked why his case has dragged on so long "when
the cases of other young people imprisoned in Guantanamo have already
resulted in their release." Mametova noted that Kazakhstani
authorities could deport Medzhit at any time.


8. (SBU) Mametova also said many refugees cannot qualify with the
UNHCR as official refugees, because they escaped over the border
without documents or came as tourists, but are afraid to go back.
According to Mametova, the number of such undocumented refugees has
increased since the July events, but UNHCR, or Mametova's own
organization, can do little to help these refugees. The Chairwoman
of Kazakhstan's "National Association of Uighurs" appealed to the
United States to urge China to alter its policies in the XUAR and
provide all possible assistance to refugees.

TIGHT BORDER CONTROL PREVENTS INCREASE IN NUMBER OF REFUGEES


9. (S) UNHCR's Senior Regional Legal Advisor, Narashima Rao, told
PolOff in September and October that the UNHCR has not observed a
marked increase in the number of asylum seekers since July (ref B).
He attributed this situation to the vigilance of the Chinese and
Kazakhstani Border Guards. Rao said the Kazakhstani Ministry of
Emergency Services convened an August meeting with UNHCR, at which
they communicated their allocation of financial and personnel
resources to prepare for a large inflow of migrants. Rao asserted he
had heard that the refugee surge never materialized, because
Kazakhstan's Border Guard Service, which falls under the authority of
Kazakhstan's Committee for National Security (KNB),increased its
cooperation with Chinese authorities, and prevented most Chinese
Uighurs from entering Kazakhstan. "Almost no new visas are being
issued, and the borders are essentially closed to Chinese Uighurs,"
Rao declared. Nonetheless, Rao had not heard any report that
authorities deported Chinese Uighurs with valid refugee status.

UNHCR OFFICIAL COMMENTS ON TREATMENT OF REFUGEES


10. (SBU) Rao asserted authorities detained Chinese Uighurs with
UNHCR-approved refugee and asylum-seeker status on several occasions.
According to Rao, they were released quickly after intervention by
UNHCR, which he attributed to UNHCR's intensive campaigns to educate
refugees about their rights. Rao, who has run UNHCR programs to
train police in the Almaty City and Oblast, said that "rank-and-file"
police routinely demand documents from all residents of Kazakhstan
and are reluctant to accept the validity of UNHCR certificates of
refugee status. However, since the UNHCR has thoroughly trained
senior Kazakhstani police officials, refugees usually are released
quickly once better-trained and more senior officers become involved.
Thus, Rao confirmed Mametova's statement that refugees often face
threats of detention from local police, but asserted that UNHCR
involvement resolves these generally minor incidents.


11. (S) Rao highlighted one significant September incident in Almaty,
in which officers from the Almaty Department of the KNB allegedly
took three refugees and two asylum seekers from their homes. The
refugees were released within approximately three hours after the
authorities detained them, after their relatives -- acting on UNHCR's
advice -- called the local police. The UNHCR sent a note to the
government of Kazakhstan to protest this treatment of refugees. Rao
told PolOff "this incident was a clear message to Chinese Uighurs not
to come here, and to the Uighur community in Kazakhstan not to stir
up trouble." He also said at least two Uighur refugees had been
attacked and badly injured, but that it is difficult to know if the
refugees were unfortunate victims of random criminal violence, or if
the attacks were politically-motivated. Nevertheless, Rao told
PolOff "the timing of the attacks was suspicious."


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WORLD CONGRESS OF UIGHURS DEPUTY CHAIRMAN CRITICIZES CHINA


12. (SBU) PolOff also met in September with Kakharman Kozhamberdiyev,
the Kazakhstani Deputy Chairman of the World Congress of Uighurs
(WCU),and Abdrashid Turdiyev, the Chairman of the Union of Uighur
Youth, to discuss the reaction of Kazakhstani Uighurs to the July
events in the XUAR. Kozhamberdiyev asserted that China's violent
suppression of a peaceful July 5 protest in XUAR united all Uighurs
in disapproval of China's actions. Kozhamberdiyev accused the
Chinese government of provoking violent conflict and portraying
Uighurs as extremists and terrorists. The Deputy Chairman told
PolOff Chinese Uighurs are seeking more autonomy in the XUAR, not
independence, and are protesting against local authorities, not
against the Chinese people. According to Kozhamberdiyev, the World
Congress of Uighurs (WCU) supports an eventual dialogue with Chinese
authorities, with certain preconditions, including a release of
political prisoners and reforms to make the autonomous region a
republic.


13. (SBU) Kozhamberdiyev, who requested to meet PolOff in a public
park, spoke at great length about his views on Chinese "oppression"
of Uighurs. He called Chinese policies and actions in the XUAR, such
as forced sterilizations, and restrictions on Uighur-language
education and practicing Islam, "acts of aggression." Kozhamberdiyev
said China is particularly afraid of the Uighurs' dedication to
Islam, which Komzhamberdiyev said is "one of the most essential
aspects of Uighur identity," and also one of the last remaining
obstacles to assimilation. Kozhamberdiyev described one incident in
which Chinese authorities hosted a meal in a Uighur community during
Ramadan. Kozhamberdiyev, who says he has relatives in China, told
PolOff that due to mass relocations of Han Chinese, the Han
population in the XUAR changed from 261,000 in 1949 to 8.4 million
currently. He asserted discrimination against Uighurs in finding
employment and prohibition of freedom of speech. Noting that the
Washington D.C.-based WCU has held numerous meetings and press events
in the United States, Kozhamberdiyev urged the United States to speak
out on behalf of the plight of Chinese Uighurs.

UIGHUR ACTIVIST CONCERNED ABOUT VIOLENCE SPREADING TO KAZAKHSTAN


14. (SBU) Kozhamberdiyev has vociferously criticized the Chinese
government in media statements. A post on a Kazakhstani opposition
news-site quoted him as pointing to the right of Uighur people to
self-determination as the main goal of the WCU and demanding that the
Chinese authorities hold a referendum. In the online posting,
Kozhamberdiyev also said that Chinese special services created the
East Turkestan Liberation Organization (ETLO) in order to discredit
the movements of "real patriots" and criticized the ETLO activists
for being too provocative. In another article in August,
Kozhamberdiyev asserted the WCU was working to prevent unrest in the
XUAR from spreading to Kazakhstan. (COMMENT: Kozhamberdiyev, a
mature and scholarly interlocutor , appears to be a complex -- and
somewhat controversial -- figure. He openly criticizes the Chinese
government's administration of the XUAR. However, he ardently
advocates efforts to prevent the spread of unrest to Kazakhstan, as
do more moderate figures, such as the Republican Cultural Center's
Turgan Rozakhunov. END COMMENT.)

KAZAKHSTANI UIGHURS ALLEGE HARASSMENT IN KAZAKHSTAN


15. (S) According to Kozhamberdiyev, the Chinese government is so
concerned about his activities that his relatives in China -- and
even people who just happen to share last name -- are under constant
surveillance. Kozhamberdiyev alleged that Kazakhstan, afraid of
damaging its relations with China and the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization, also limits his organization's activities.
Kozhamberdiyev cited a recent case when the WCU paid to hold a
discussion at the office of an Almaty press club, which was closed
for repairs when WCU staff arrived. (COMMENT: Post's Political
Assistant in Almaty spoke with Kozhamberdiyev separately about what
appears to have been the same incident. END COMMENT.) According to
Kozhamberdiyev, Yermek Narymbayev, a Kazakh-nationalist friend and

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head of the newly-founded Kazakh-Uighur Friendship and Solidarity
Committee, suggested Kozhamberdiyev hold a photo exhibition and
discussion at the Kalamger Press Club in Almaty. Abdrashid Turdiyev,
the Chairman of the Union of Uighur Youth and a key figure in the
fiery July rally in Almaty (ref A),collected photos for the
exhibition. When Kozhamberdiyev approached the press club on the
morning of the event, he observed police detaining Narymbetov and
Turdiyev, who were released shortly afterward, after receiving
warnings not to engage in "unsanctioned activities."


16. (S) Kozhamberdiyev asserted that the WCU faces various
administrative troubles every time it opens an office in Kazakhstan.
He complained that his computers have frequently become infected with
malicious viruses that interfere with his work. He implied that the
viruses may have been planted by Chinese Special Forces, possibly
with the Kazakhstani KNB's assistance. According to Kozhamberdiyev,
China primarily wants to prevent an open flow of information about
life in the XUAR to Kazakhstani Uighurs and the international
community. Abdrashid Turdiyev alleged Chinese national security
services' responsibility for the burglary of his home several times.
According to Kozhamberdiyev, however, Uighurs in the Kyrgyz Republic
face a more difficult situation. Kozhamberdiyev said that he was
invited to attend a conference, but Kyrgyz Border Guards refused to
admit him, because of pressure from China.

KAZAKHSTANI UIGURS CRITICIZE KAZAKHSTANI "PRO-CHINA" POLICY


17. (SBU) Kozhamberdiyev and Turdiyev also commented on the Uighur
refugees' difficulties. They agreed with Mametova and Rao about
Kazakhstani reluctance to admit Chinese Uighurs, and the difficulty
of obtaining UNHCR status (ref B). Kozhamberdiyev criticized the
role of certain prominent Kazakhstani think-tank analysts, especially
Konstantin Syroezhkin, chief researcher at the government-affiliated
Kazakh Institute for Strategic Studies in Almaty, for encouraging a
pro-China foreign policy. According to Kozhamberdiyev, Syroezhkin,
with whom he had worked for half a year, previously lived in Beijing,
is fond of Chinese culture, and has written many articles expressing
support for China's perspective on various issues. Kozhamberdiyev
suggested his work may be "funded by China."


18. (SBU) Syroezhkin's summer media statements on events in the XUAR
have certainly correlated to the official positions of the People's
Republic of China. In one instance, Syroezhkin and Kozhamberdiyev
argued during an Almaty seminar in July whether the Uighurs had ever
previously established their own country. During this forum,
Syroezhkin stated that the People's Republic of China's law on
Regional Ethnic Autonomy, enacted in 1984, stipulates that ethnic
groups can practice self-government in their regions and constitutes
a legal guarantee for ethnic groups to exercise their right of
regional autonomy. The article, under the headline, "Kazakh expert
rebuts Xinjiang separatist leader's claims," appeared in China's
Xinhua General News Service, on July 15. A July 30 article in the
pro-government newspaper "Argumenty i Fakty," quoted Syroezhkin that
while the situation in Xinjiang spiraled out of control because of
"tough and sometimes openly cruel actions by the authorities," the
United States was also to blame for the riots. Syroezhkin said, "I
am not hinting, I am speaking directly. Who participated in the
World Congress of Uighurs that took place in May of this year? Four
Senators and two U.S. Congressmen. Directors of almost every NGO
that had been involved in organizing 'color revolutions' in the
former Soviet Republics participated as well." Several days after
Syroezhkin's comments, China's Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Cheng
Guoping, expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan for its support in
preserving the country's sovereignty. He also said "bilateral
relations are experiencing the best period in the history of their
development, meet people's interests in both states, and benefit the
stability and development of the whole Central Asia."


19. (S) COMMENT: During his meeting with the Deputy Director of the
Marshall Center, Kazakhstan's Deputy Secretary of the National
Security Council, Marat Shaikhutdinov, asserted his government
cooperates closely with the Chinese government (ref C). He

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specifically praised the close relationship between Kazakhstani and
Chinese-government affiliated think-tanks. Shaikhutdinov's comments
confirm Emboffs assessment that the anti-U.S., pro-China Syroezhkin,
who works for a think-tank that falls under the Kazakhstani
Presidential Administration, is one influential voice in the
Kazakhstani government urging close cooperation, particularly on
security issues, between China and Kazakhstan.


20. (SBU) Comments from Kazakhstani Uighurs indicate that ethnic
identity has the potential to politically mobilize. This factor
explains the Kazakhstani government's focus on maintaining the
country's inter-ethnic harmony. While the government does not want
Kazakhstan's close relationship with China disrupted by the unrest in
Xinjiang, the authorities have apparently decided to provide a
modicum of political space for Kazakhstani Uighurs to vent their
concerns. Kazakhstani Uighurs are also struggling to find a balance
between expressing shared discontent with China's response to July
events in the XUAR without endangering their community's
comparatively comfortable position in Kazakhstan. END COMMENT.

SPRATLEN