Page 142 - Communist Chinas Policy of Oppression in East Turkestan

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from Soviet Russia, and a large part of the region came under Soviet
control.
That interesting outcome was the result of a number of develop-
ments: China realized that it would be unable to quell the East
Turkestan uprising on its own, and signed a secret agreement with So-
viet Russia. As a result it acquired weapons and troops from the Rus-
sians. Despite this move, however, it still proved impossible to put the
uprising down. In 1933, the Red Army invaded East Turkestan by land
and defeated the Muslim forces. Following a number of battles in 1934-
1937, East Turkestan found itself under de facto Soviet rule. The sav-
agery and oppression inflicted on the peoples of the Soviet republics
were now visited on the Muslims of East Turkestan. The Red Army car-
ried out mass killings, tore down mosques, and even raped women.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, the Russians with-
drew their forces from East Turkestan. As the nationalist Chinese gov-
ernment was defeated by Mao's
communist guerillas in various
regions of the country, it fled to
Formosa (Taiwan). China fell to
the communists, and East
Turkestan with it.
Within the course of that
process, the people of East
Turkestan once more made a
bid for independence, and the
independent Republic of East
Turkestan was declared in

M ao saluting his army after the
communists had captured
Beijing.

Communist China’s Policy
of Oppression in East Turkestan