Word: bequelin
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Chinese security officials have repeatedly stated that the possibility of a terrorist attack by Xinjiang separatists is the greatest danger to the Olympics - though critics say much of the government's credibility has been lost by its repeated "conflation of violent and nonviolent" opposition to Chinese rule, as Nicholas Bequelin, a China researcher with New York City - based Human Rights Watch, puts...
...buses in the provincial capital Urumqi, killing nine and injuring 74. During the 1980s, militants routinely targeted police stations, military bases and similar targets, but such attacks stopped in the 1990s as Chinese control of the region solidified and was extended down to the village level, says Nicholas Bequelin, a China researcher with New York-based Human Rights Watch. Bequelin, who wrote his Ph.D. thesis on the separatist movement in Xinjiang, says the latest attack underscores the "complete failure" of China's heavy-handed policies in both Xinjiang and Tibet. "We have to watch the government's reaction carefully," says...
While details of the incident remain vague it will be hard to assess the exact significance of this attack, Bequelin says, but there's no doubt that it represents a resurgence of militant activity in Xinjiang, which could have troubling implications for the future. "The critical thing we need to know is if these were militants who received training or other help from abroad," he says. "The concern is that China could get drawn into the battle with global jihad...
...hunch is that this is a media-driven operation," says Nicholas Bequelin, chief China researcher for Human Rights Watch, based in New York City. "The goal is to help it to recruit people to the cause or attract attention" at a time when the eyes of the world are focused on China, he says, adding, "I don't think they seriously are claiming responsibility." Says terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna: "The threat is to change the mood rather than to mount an attack in the Olympic venue. However, attacks elsewhere, small to medium, are likely in the lead-up and during...
...sensitive causes like Tibetan autonomy or the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement will be approved. "In the scenario where there is still a need to obtain prior approval it's pretty clear that nobody will get a permit if they demonstrate for things that China considers criminal," says Bequelin...