This seems familiar...

[Gato_Solo]

Northern Xinjiang is rich and fertile, and it has oil. But Uighurs enjoy little of its riches, especially since China has flooded the province with Han Chinese. In 1950 Uighurs were 94% of the population - they are now less than half.

This ethic dilution is denied by officials such as Yahfu Wumar, director of Urumqi's Religious and Ethnics Affairs Committee.

"There's very little difference in the ethnic balance between now and the early 1950s," he said.

"The central government established the "Go West" policy to bridge the economic gap between east and west China. It has brought entrepreneurs here - but it certainly isn't an issue of moving Han people to Xinjiang," he said.

Didn't the Brits flood Northern Ireland with Protestants when they feared an invasion from Spain would be aided by the Catholic majority there?

Source...

 

[Professur]

People move to opportunity. If the Gov't is giving free land west of the mississippi, people go there. If they're giving it west of Xinjiang .....

 

[Gato_Solo]

People move to opportunity. If the Gov't is giving free land west of the mississippi, people go there. If they're giving it west of Xinjiang .....

It's the reason they're doing it that seems very suspiscious.

1. China doesn't have much open territory that's worth a crap.
2. China is having a problem with Islamic seperatists in Xinjiang province.
3. Xinjiang province is now being flooded with the 'proper' type of Chinese citizen.

 

[Professur]

Wasn't your west full of native americans at the time too?

 

[unclehobart]

Ethnic dilution is a merely an end result of modern abilities to travel at will and teraform at lightning speed. What used to take centuries now takes a decade.

 

[Gato_Solo]

Wasn't your west full of native americans at the time too?

That was a little different. The Native Americans were murdered into a smaller race, rather than diluted. What the Chinese are doing, at a much faster rate, true enough, is much more insidious. Take a look at these quotes from the same source...

"People from the Uighur community are very much at risk of being arrested, detained, tortured or sentenced to labour camps for anything the government equates to separatist feelings, or for holding religious activities," he said.

Next comes this part...

Those around the mosque are afraid to speak. Uighur men and women have been imprisoned for simply speaking to foreign journalists.

The BBC was monitored by undercover policemen for most of our time in Xinjiang. We slipped away briefly and spoke to a Uighur who was unhappy about the redevelopment.

"It really isn't appropriate," he said. "We come here to worship - but sometimes we can't hear our prayers because of the music and singing from the bazaar."

and finally this...

Northern Xinjiang is rich and fertile, and it has oil. But Uighurs enjoy little of its riches, especially since China has flooded the province with Han Chinese. In 1950 Uighurs were 94% of the population - they are now less than half.

This ethic dilution is denied by officials such as Yahfu Wumar, director of Urumqi's Religious and Ethnics Affairs Committee.

This is the kind of thing that actually foments rebellion unless you have a huge army to keep the local population in abject terror.