Initiatives for China has serious concerns for the well being of the imprisoned Uyghur refugees who have been on a hunger strike for six days in a Thai immigration detention facility.
Region has been hit by series of attacks blamed on Islamist separatist militants
Seventeen Uyghurs are detained over 'pro-Ramadan' propaganda, an exile group says.
China has marked the start of Ramadan with its customary ban on civil servants, students and children in a mainly-Muslim region from taking part in fasting, government websites said as the holy month started on Monday.
Ramadan began on a sad note in Muslim-majority region Xinjiang, home to about 10 million Uyghur (Uighur) Muslims, with a ban on fasting and other restrictions by China. The clampdown covers civil servants, students and children, reported AFP on Monday, citing government websites.
China is widely considered to be one of the worst countries in the world for religious freedom. But while the persecuted Church often dominates the headlines in Western media, much less is known about the persecuted Muslim community in China's far-western corner.
Early next week in Beijing, the U.S. and China will hold its 8th Strategic and Economic Dialogue, the last of the Obama Administration
Following extensive first hand research working directly with Uyghur refugees and asylum seekers who fled to Turkey from East Turkestan, the WUC has published a comprehensive report detailing current conditions in the region as well as the narratives of those whose escape lasted many months.
In recent years, China has endeavored to woo hearts and minds in the northwest region of Xinjiang while engaging in a military crackdown against terrorism. It has told the military to learn local folk songs and dances. It has sent thousands of cadres to befriend local villagers.
China said on Thursday there was no religious discrimination in the far-western region of Xinjiang and there would be no interference in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, despite criticism from rights groups.
