Tensions rise as historic Kashgar falls to wrecking ball

ABC July 28, 2009, 8:44 am
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There are fears a demolition program in China's west could re-ignite the tensions which saw almost 200 people killed and 1,600 injured in street clashes three weeks ago.
Thousands of families are being forced out of the historic city of Kashgar in Xinjiang so that most of the traditional buildings can be knocked down.
The Government says houses in the mud and brick communities aren't safe.
But critics say the aim of the project is to control the local Uighur people and stamp out separatist activity.
China correspondent Stephen McDonell is in Kashgar and described the scene.
"I'm sitting on the roof of a grass-mud house, looking out over what remains of old Kashgar," he said.
"On one side of the road below, traditional buildings have already been destroyed and construction teams are working on the flash new structures that will replace them.
"On the other side of the road are the minarets, poplar trees and ramshackle mud-brick communities of the old city.
"The Government says that most of the old buildings are unsafe and, if there was ever an earthquake in Kashgar like that in Sichuan last year, the death toll would be huge amongst the 50,000 people living in the old city."
Deputy Mayor Xu Jianrong says some houses can be renovated, some will be destroyed and, in areas, the city will be rebuilt in a traditional style.
"If you're asking me for a percentage - how many will be restored - our current plans are area by area and we haven't completed them," he said.
"But if the local people are happy, we'll take it to the next step. We'll accomplish this task together."
The ABC asked one 90-year-old man what he thought of the claim by officials that they will rebuild many parts of the old town using traditional Uighur designs.
"It's a total lie. They never tell the truth. There's not one official who speaks truthfully in Kashgar," he said.
"All of them have lied and sent people to jail. They beat people, they wrong people, they receive money from the rich and that's who they promote."
In a cluster of little blacksmith shops, more than 400 years old, the smiths are finishing their last full day of work. The whole block will be levelled by the end of the week.
The blacksmiths here have a verbal agreement from the Government that the area will be rebuilt and that they can come back in the future.
But they do not know whether to believe what they have been told.
The arguments for and against the demolition are complex. According to some Uighurs, the Chinese Government sees Kashgar as a hotbed of separatism, so it is moving people out of the rabbit warren of the old city and into flats, where it is easier to control people.
The deputy mayor says that is utter nonsense.
"We only want people to live in earthquake-resistant, safe, comfortable houses to improve their living conditions and surroundings," he said.
Following the clashes in Urumqi, which killed nearly 200 people and injured 1600, foreign journalists have been rushing to Kashgar to see if this city with a majority Uighur population would also explode into violent conflict.
The Government is now escorting journalists to the airport and telling them to leave.
-_You can see more of this story on ABC1's Foreign Correspondent tonight at 8:00pm._