It’s a strange sight: Han soldiers protecting Han civilians in a city nearly 90 percent Uighur. I took a few photos, and the People’s Armed Police picked up the walkie-talkie. When I tried to leave, about five police officers came and surrounded me and took me to a police station. They didn’t believe I wasn’t a journalist. One minute they were telling me how dangerous it was and that I should take care of myself. However, when I said I was a tourist, their reaction became: “Oh…ok…of course, we welcome tourists. This is an open city. Welcome to Hotan City!”
However, they were not happy about the photos I took and wanted to delete them.
Q: They are worried.
answer:right. But their policy is too passive. Beijing, Kunming and Urumqi have all been hit by sensational attacks since Xi came to power. This makes them very embarrassed. However, they won’t take the initiative because they don’t have a solution. They are unwilling to think outside the box and think of new ways that might be more productive.
The more I think about this problem, the more it seems to have no solution at all. I hate myself for sounding pessimistic, but with the current regime, that seems to be the case.