The Asahi Shimbun, 2 November 2013

YINING, China–Family members of a man detained over the deadly vehicle crash at Tiananmen Square on Oct. 28 insist he is innocent and has never been involved in terrorism.

Husanjan Wuxur, 36, is one of five suspects held by Chinese authorities. His family register is listed as Yining in the western part of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

“My younger brother was a very happy person who was liked by his friends,” Wuxur’s 51-year-old brother said. “I cannot believe (he was involved in the incident).”

Wuxur’s 75-year-old father and 72-year-old mother, who live at the address on the register, also said they believe their son is innocent.

“My son had a calm personality and he was always thinking about us,” the mother said.

Yining is about a one-hour flight from Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. The parents’ home is located in a village about a 15-minute drive from central Yining.

Wuxur, the sixth oldest of seven siblings, moved to Urumqi in 2003 and worked as a driver. His parents, who both have heart problems, said he sent them money.

The older brother, who operates a restaurant in the village, said he was called out to the police box near where his parents live around 5 p.m. on Oct. 28. The officials told him that his younger brother was involved in terrorist acts.

The brother asked what Wuxur was suspected of doing, but the officials did not provide any details, saying only that three people had died in a car crash.

A total of five people were killed and dozens were injured after the vehicle plowed into a crowd of tourists and crashed at Tiananmen Square on Oct. 28.

A local government official later informed the brother that the vehicle was registered in Wuxur’s name.

At that time, family members were not told that Wuxur had been detained by police.

The father recalled his mind going blank when his oldest son told him about being summoned to the police box. He and his wife repeatedly said they could not believe Wuxur was involved.

According to Chinese authorities, the items found in the crashed vehicle included a container of gasoline and a flag with Islamic fundamentalist writing.

Wuxur’s parents denied their son had any association with Islamic fundamentalists.

Reuters carried an interview on Oct. 31 with Rebiya Kadeer, the head of the World Uighur Congress. She said she did not believe any kind of organized extremist Islamic movement was operating in Xinjiang.

“It is almost impossible for Uighurs to organize because of China’s stringent controls and attacks,” she said in the interview.

FLIGHTS AFFECTED BY BOMB THREATS

Chinese authorities have described the Tiananmen Square crash as a well-planned, organized act of terrorism and were stepping up security to prevent another attack.

“Public security authorities should heighten their sense of crisis and mobilize all available resources and personnel in order to resolutely fight terrorism,” the daily newspaper of the Public Security Ministry said in a report carried on Oct. 31.

At an Oct. 31 news conference, Hua Chunying, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, indicated that those calling for Uighur independence were involved in the crash at Tiananmen Square.

“East Turkestan independence elements carried out the terrorist act to destroy China’s development and stability,” she said.

Bomb threats were made on Oct. 31 against domestic flights, causing planes to divert course and make emergency landings.

In one case, a Beijing Capital Airlines flight from Changsha, Hunan province, to Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, received a bomb threat shortly before 1 p.m. The pilot made an emergency landing at Nanchang, Jiangxi province.

According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, the person believed to have made the threat has already been detained. No explosives were found on the plane.

The same individual made bomb threats against three other flights, forcing a change in destination or delay in departure, Xinhua said.

Security around Tiananmen Square continued to be tight on Oct. 31. Police stopped vehicles with license plates not issued in Beijing and questioned the drivers.

(This article was written by Kim Soon-hi in Yining and Nozomu Hayashi in Beijing.)

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/china/AJ201311010066