21.
them to be careful, there will be "splittists" on the other side, and they ask them to give the names of these people if possible when they come back. So they do monitor the people who are going to the other side, and they are extremely sensitive, that's why they are also providing aid, economic help, to the Central Asian Republics.
Mr Garratt: But I would add there, on your question, that our informal contacts both in Uighur and Gurdu (?), indicate that the Chinese are using, unlike Tibet, very subtle means in order to further their goals in that corrupt bureaucracy and methods similar to that form a strong part of their policy towards endeavouring to keep, I suppose divide and rule really, and maintain the ethnic minorities in a subservient position to Han domination.
Question: Is there much sensitivity to religious issues now? Do they see that a rise of Islam might encourage splittism or are they worried about the resurgent Islamic feeling in the newly independent states?
Informally they said that the situation wasn't that volatile. I mean that was an obvious point of concern to us, but though there tended to be quite a strong gulf between the official viewpoint we got in all the meetings, with Imams and officials, the people themselves said that the position on religious and cultural issues was quite reasonable.
Senator Schacht: Compared with Tibet last year, where it was obvious that the monasteries in Tibet were being suppressed and controlled severely, and that the practice of the Tibetan Buddhist religion was being very heavily monitored and controlled, the Muslim religion seemed to be - well, the new mosques are being built and it seemed to be much wider and freely practised than certainly the Tibetan Buddhist religion is allowed to be practised in Tibet.
Mr. MacKellar: They are actually promoting visits to Islamic Shrines and tombs.
Question:
So they seem more concerned about the external influences than internal?
Senator Schacht:
Yes.
Mr. Sidoti:
If anything we found
I
Ms Thwaites The religion is also not completely free. mean they have these four basic rules you have to follow, Communist Party, love of Chinese nation and against the splitism and so on and so forth and that means that they are allowed to worship but not discuss. For example in the Koran there is a part that encourages to stand up against