Page 111 - Communist Chinas Policy of Oppression in East Turkestan

he 2,200 years of Turkestan
history have played host to
some of the most important civiliza-
tions in the world. The area is a wide expanse
of territory, stretching from the Caspian Sea and the south-
ern part of the Ural Mountains in the west, Siberia in the north,
Iran, Afghanistan and Tibet in the south, and China and Mongolia to the
east.
Today, the part of Turkestan that includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan is known as West Turkestan, and
the area that has been under Chinese captivity for the last two centuries is
known as East Turkestan. The geographical and strategic importance of
Turkestan is obvious from the great interest shown in the area by Russia and
China, the two regional superpowers. Russia and China have both played
very important roles in Turkestan history, which is why it is divided into
two parts today.
Behind those two countries' refusal to give the region up, no matter
what cost, is its strategic position and its rich underground resources. For
Russia, the Turkish states in the west, and for China, East Turkestan, are im-
portant reserves of raw materials.
Following the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia set up a powerful control
mechanism in West Turkestan where states consisting of different
Turkish tribes were set up. The area was given the name "So-
viet Central Asia," in place of the name Turkestan by
which the land had been known for hundreds of
years.
The intention was to do away with the
Turks' shared national consciousness.
The most important element
of Russia's policy in