People’s Daily, The Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) Friday reiterated China's firm support for international cooperation in combating terrorism and its hope of gaining more assistance from other countries for its anti-terror endeavor.
A MPS spokesperson said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua that the publicizing of a list of the first identified “East Turkistan” terrorist organizations and 11 terrorists by the ministry on December 15, 2003 has drawn active response from the international community.
“They hope to further promote cooperation with China in cracking down on terrorism,” said the spokesperson, who declined to give his name.
Pakistan's information ministry gave information that Hasan Mahsum, head of the listed terrorist group “the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement” (ETIM), was already shot dead by Pakistani troops on Oct. 2 last year in a joint anti-terror raid along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
When confirming the death last December, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao accused Hasan Mahsum of plotting a series of violent terrorist activities in recent years, including robberyand murder in the capital city of Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and violent murders in Xinjiang's Hotan region, which had caused heavy loss of lives and property.
“His death is a tremendous contribution to the war on terror not only for China but also for the whole world,” said the MPS spokesperson.
He said China thanks Pakistan's efforts in combating terrorism and wished for greater amd closer cooperation with Pakistan and other countries so as to promote regional and global stability andprosperity.
However, the spokesperson also revealed that ETIM had not been fully demolished though it suffered a telling blow from the death of its head.
He acknowledged that “its members have intensified activities and are actively plotting revenges for a comeback. We should stillremain highly vigilant.”
While continuing to keep an eye what ETIM and other terrorist groups were up to, China would further seek cooperation worldwide and resort to varied measures to crack down on any form of terrorism, he underlined.
The publicized “East Turkistan” terrorist organizations are: the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the East Turkistan Liberation Organization (ETLO), the World Uygur Youth Congress (WUYC) and the East Turkistan Information Center (ETIC).
The 11 identified “East Turkistan” terrorists are: Hasan Mahsum,Muhanmetemin Hazret, Dolqun Isa, Abudujelili Kalakash, Abudukadir Yapuquan, Abudumijit Muhammatkelim, Abudula Kariaji, Abulimit Turxun, Hudaberdi Haxerbik, Yasen Muhammat, and Atahan Abuduhani.
The ETIM was put on the list of global terrorist organizations by the United Nations on Sept. 11, 2002, and three identified terrorists were already subjects of Interpol red notices. Chinese police had requested Interpol issue red notices on others.
The Ministry of Public Security has called on authorities in all countries to disband the four organizations, to ban their activities, support, financing and protection of these organizations and to freeze their assets. It is also hoped that they will investigate the whereabouts of the identified terroristsand extradite them to China.
Terrorism constitutes a global scourge and the war on terror required the joined efforts of the whole world instead of endeavorby any individual country, the spokesperson said. International cooperation in fighting terrorism is a crucial measure taken to crack down terrorism and China attaches great importance to its cooperation with other nations in this regard and is ready to contribute its own share to the world's cause of combating terrorism.
