Xinjiang! Xinjiang!
By Jian Shuo Wang on 2009-07-18 22:35 · NewsWhen the riot (I have to pay specially attention to my wording, although I don’t know what is the best word to describe it) in Xinjiang happened, I was in US. But I don’t think I missed any news than being in China.
Every time, when I don’t write about an important event, it is because I don’t feel I have known enough about the fact. That was the reason Why I Didn’t Cover About Tibet. That is the same reason I kept silence about what is happening in Xinjiang.
I cannot say anything about it, just because I am still not sure what happened there. What I can confirm is, immediately after the event, censorship on Internet reached the highest level, and it seems Internet in Xinjiang is completely shutdown - I cannot visit most of the Xinjiang site I know - like Xinjiang University.
Interestingly, no matter whose fault the event is, the first thing government thinks is to block all possible news channel, and shutdown whatever site they can shutdown, so everyone just use the standard news release.
I read many comments about the event in Google Reader, but it is just comments with the absence of facts.
So, here is what I plan to do. I just bring up this topic, so my readers can start to discuss about it, and giving me some education. Please, facts are welcome!
12 Comments
Food for thought.
But I am afraid that is beyond the powers that be today and in the foreseeable future.
1) The precursor of Xinjian riot, is the Guangdong Shaoguan incident, the story was spread widely on web, and it appears some outside forces put some fire on this story, to stir the violence;
2) Iran and Twitter: the US state dept. called Twitter to ask them delay a scheduled maintence so that people in Iran can use that to communicate (and organize).
I don't have any problem people expressing their ideas/opinions on web, but using it as an organizing tool to stir the violence is another thing.
This is just about the new media's role. On the broader ethnic issue, I think all the sides need to calm down, and let the rational minds/ideas prevail. Violence/emotions don't solve any problem, on the contrary, they make things worse (in long term).
Expect more riots if the governments keep ostriching the underlying problems and don't smarten up their acts.
Please don't bring up the topics which you actually did not want talk about and left it to the following readers. No Politics related information would be better.
Senator Li
How they reported Rabiya Kadeer 'sneaked' (the actual word that appeared in Chinese papers) to Melbourne film festival and the emotional and propaganda rhetoric that they use when reporting about Dalai Lama shows what kind of professional journalism they have.
Made me RLMAO when I read how China's Consulate in Melbourne demanded Melbourne Film Festival to justify their decision to include the documentary about Rabiya Kadeer. These people at the consulate must have thought the world revolves around them and everybody is used to a control-freak government like what they have back home. The film festival won't even need to justify their decisions to the Australian government, what chance do the consulate think they have in getting these people to justify their decision to a foreign government?
It seems to be a replay of the problems in Tibet.
Like everyone going stupid together.
The overly sensitive insider,
the overly insensitive outsider,
and the overly obtuse overlord.