Xinjiang successful in curbing spread of terrorism, official says

No terrorist attacks have occurred in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in the past 21 months and the spread of religious extremism has effectively been curbed after a series of measures were put in place to strike hard against such activities, the region's chairman said.

Shohrat Zakir made the remarks on Tuesday in a written interview with Xinhua News Agency on the social situation in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang has been China's frontline in the battle against terrorism. Since the 1990s, the "three evil forces" (terrorism, extremism and separatism) in China and abroad have plotted, organized and conducted thousands of violent terrorist attacks causing the deaths of a large number of innocent people, he said.

Facing complex and grave circumstances as well as the pressing anti-terrorism desire of the people, the Chinese government has resolutely taken measures in preventing and combating violent terrorist crimes in accordance with the law, and people are feeling more secure now, Shohrat said.

Fighting terrorism and eradicating extremism is a global issue as well as a global headache. The international community has also realized that terrorism and extremism are very hard to root out and can easily resurge. Xinjiang has given equal importance to fighting and preventing terrorism, and sought to combine the fight against violent terrorist crimes with the protection of human rights, he added.

On the question regarding the region's vocational education and training program, Shohrat said that on one hand, Xinjiang has put emphasis on strictly countering a small number of violent terrorist crimes according to law, and spared no efforts in protecting the basic human rights of the citizens from the harm of terrorism and extremism. On the other hand, the region has also stressed addressing the root cause of terrorism, and moved to bring around, educate and save the majority of those who committed petty crimes, through assistance and education, to prevent them from becoming victims of terrorism and extremism.

Despite of the efforts, there is still a long way to go for some areas in southern Xinjiang, which were seriously influenced by the spread of religious extremism in the past, to eradicate the root of terrorism and religious extremism, he added.

The chairman said some residents in southern Xinjiang have a limited command of the country's common language and a limited sense and knowledge of the law. They often have difficulties in finding employment due to limited vocational skills, and this has led to a low material-basis for residents to live and work there, making them vulnerable to the instigation and coercion of terrorism and extremism.

As for most people who are influenced by terrorism and extremism, those suspected of minor criminal offenses but do not have to be subject to penalties or can be exempted from criminal punishment, Xinjiang has provided them with free vocational training through vocational education institutions to improve their ability in commanding the country's common language, acquiring legal knowledge and vocational skills. In that way, the region can better guard against the infiltration of terrorism and extremism, Shohrat said.

The vocational institutions and schools are also required to pay attention to the trainees' mental health and help them solve problems in life. They not only provide professional psychological counseling services, but also duly deal with complaints from the trainees and their families, he added.