dogu-turkistan-sempozyumu

East Turkistan - Restriction on Economic Life - Poverty and Its Societal Impact / Abdulsalam Abdulgani AlimAccording to a report released by the Xinjiang provincial government onOctober 2004, the average income of the Chinese settler in East Turkistan is fourtimes higher than that of a Uyghur farmer. Almost 85 percent of the Uyghursare farmers. According to the same official report, the average annual income ofa Uyghur farmer is 820 Yuan ($100) whereas a Chinese farmer in East Turkistanearns an annual income of 3,000 Yuan ($400).Farmers are still carrying out their occupation as they used to, without anyadvance techniques. Basically all work is done with the bare hands, using oldfashionedtools (Katman, Oghak). Each family is given a very small plot of landon which to live, without having the freedom to choose what to grow. The poorfarmers are further imposed upon with various taxes, which can take up to 20different forms in some parts of East Turkistan, like Hotan. They are forced tosell a certain amount of their harvest to the government at below market prices.Compulsory unpaid labour, known as hasha, for two months every year isan ongoing practice in rural areas of East Turkistan. Sometimes farmers have totravel great distances and cannot return to their homes until the hasha period hasbeen completed. Farmers need to provide their own accommodation and foodduring this period. Failure to carry out this duty can lead to fines or a loss of land.The following report was released by Amnesty International, and in it someaspects of the problems faced by farmers in East Turkistan under Chinese ruleare reflected:“The XUAR is the only area of China where the general population (nonprisoners)is systematically subjected to a government policy of forced labour.Under a system referred to as “hashar”, farming families are fined if they fail tosend a family member, sometimes several times each year, to labour on agricultural,infrastructural and other public works for up to two to three weeks at a time.The individuals are given no compensation for their labour, no room or boardare provided, and they are expected to pay their own transportation costs. Manydescribe sleeping out in the open and eating nothing but instant noodles for dayswhile doing hard labour. Families that do not have an able -bodied young man tosend are not exempt- men and women as old as 70, and children as young as 12have been reported as having participated by the Uyghurs.”423