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Article: Kazakhstan's ethnic Uighurs feel pressure of petro-politics.
- Article from:
- Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
- Article date:
- December 22, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Evan Osnos
ALMATY, Kazakhstan _ On this city's dusty edge, China's rise echoes through the dilapidated Soviet-era apartment blocks that are home to a wary community of Uighurs, a mostly Muslim ethnic group.
The Uighurs' fate in Kazakhstan has become entwined with the politics of oil. China's burgeoning appetite for petroleum has given it unprecedented sway with Kazakhstan to crack down on Uighurs who challenge China's regime.
"We are under heavy pressure," said Uighur political leader Kakharman Khozamberdi, who lives in Almaty. "I would like to organize meetings, but I am prohibited from doing that."
For half a century, China ...