Fake evidence behind Urumqi riot

The Chinese government says the World Uyghur Congress took advantage of the massive fight between Han and Uyghur employees at a toy factory in Guangdong Province to promote its separatist agenda. The WUC and other overseas groups spread faked evidence through the Internet and other channels. The government says this was a direct cause of July 5 riots in Urumqi.

32-year-old Qurban Keyum worked as a chef in a restaurant in Guangdong Province. He's also the liaison man in China for the World Uyghur Congress.

After the big fight at the toy factory in Shaoguan city, Guangdong, Keyum collected information on the matter under the direction from Dolgun, Aysa and other lead members of the WUC, through email.

Qurban Keyum, WUC member in China, said, "I was busy, so I never thought go to Shaoguan. I just made up some fake information and sent emails overseas."

Keyum wrote that 17 or 18 Ugyhurs died in the fight, and 3 of them were women. On July 2nd, the WUC spread the false information through the world by email. The WUC posted a fake video about a "Uyghur girl beaten to death" on July 3rd. The video was spread by a key member of the WUC. The purpose was to fan ethnic confrontation.

In the internet group, the man used extreme words to encourage Uyghurs to "fight back with violence " and "repay blood with blood."

In fact, the video of a girl being stoned to death was originally broadcast by the CNN in May 2007. It showed events in the Iraqi city of Mosul the month before.

Still, the leader of the WUC, Rebiya Kadeer insisted that her people were demonstrating peacefully. But the photo she showed has no relation with the July 5th riots in Urumqi. It shows events in Shishou, Hubei Province, in June. Reuters and other media acknowledged their mistake afterwards. But the WUC continued with its manipulations.

On July 8th, AFP published another photo, showing demonstrators holding a photo from the WUC website. The WUC said the photo showed policemen killing people in Xinjiang. But it was actually a photo of a car accident in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in May.

The WUC and overseas separatist forces have consistently faked evidence to mislead the international media. They have also manipulated many people who are unaware of the truth.