Xinjiang government was under Nanjing government nominally, but it was governed by military clique virtually on the establishment of Republic of China.The dissatisfaction and anger of Turks had been pent up by the Han's great migration, their discriminations and suppressions against Turks as well as the assimilation. With a small motivator, it was ready to explode.The uprising started from Kumul (Hami). The direct reason of this was the misadministration of Jin Shuren, the President of Xinjiang Province. He took an advantage on the chaos caused by Hui King's death to take his territory and distributed the land giving privileges to Han people without permission.
The uprising in Kumul in March 1931 spilled over to Barkol and Aksu. At this stage Khoja Niyaz, the chief retainer of Hui King in Kumul, required relief to Ma Chung-ying, the Dungan (Hui, Han Muslim) military cliques stayed in Gansu. From this incident, Ma Chung-ying got involved in uprisings of Xinjiang deeply. This time he approached close to Urumqi, the capital, but dismissed and retreated to Gansu.On April 1933, coup of White Russian made Jin Shuren fall from power and Sheng Shicai was assigned to be captain general and chief of military board. Ma Chung-ying again progressed close to Urumqi in May, same year and January the next year but he was repelled by Sheng Shicai.
During the chaos, the uprising in Hotan in early 1933 converged with the uprisings of Karashar, Kucha and Aksu that occurred at the same time. They came up to the proclamation of independence of 'Islamic Republic of East Turkistan'. The President was Khoja Niyaz and Prime Minister was Sabit Damollah. As it is noticeable from the word Islam in the name of nation, this independence was initiated by the Muslim intellectuals educated in Kazan region in Soviet Union or Istanbul in Ottoman Empire with new Islamic education system and gained pan-Islamic and pan-Turkish colour.
However this nation was eliminated in spring 1934, because of the collapse of coalition caused by ethnic conflict, suppression from Kuomintang Party, interference of Soviet Union and invasion of Ma Chung-ying. (In addition, Ma Chung-ying, defected to Soviet Union being chased by Xinjiang government after this, has never been seen).
In the fall of 1944, Uyghur, Kazakh and other minorities in the three regions Ili, Quqek, and Altai in the Xinjiang province could no longer standfrom the national suppression of the counter revolutionary Guo Ming Dang forces, staged a large scale organized uprising and established ThreeRegions Revolutionary Government. Because the revolution occured in above three regions, hence it was called Three Regions Revolution.
The Three Regions Revolution was an important event in Xinjiang's modern history. It was influenced and supported by the Chinese Communist Party and all China People's revolutionary movement, helped by the Soviet Union. Under the leadership of the progressive representatives of all nationalities of Xinjiang, the revolution lasted for 5 years November 12, 1944.The Ghulja Liberation Organization held a conference in <
November 19, 1944ETR Ministry of Education was established. Hibib Ghunchef was the minister, the vice minister was Sayfidin Aziz.
November XX, 1944ETR Ministry of Inner Affairs was established. Abdukerim Abasof was the minister.
December XX, 1944ETR Supreme Court was established. Muhametjan Mahsum was the supreme judge.
December XX, 1944ETR Ministry of Propaganda was established. Abdukerim Abasuf was the minister.
Jannuary 1, 1944ETR Ministry of Health was established. Kasimjan Kamberi was the minister.
January 5, 1944On The Fourth congress of ETR, the government announced political platform, which stated: 1) End the Chinese dictatorial rule in the land of Eastern Turkistan.2) Establish a free and independent Eastern Turkistan based on equality for all nationalities.3) In order to fully develop East Turkistan's economy, promote industrial, agricultural and animal husbandry as well as private businesses. Increasepeople's living standard.4) Since the majority people of Eastern Turkistan believes Islam, so the government particularly advocate this religion. At the same time, promotereligious freedom for other religion.5) Develop education, culture and health standard of Eastern Turkistan.6) Establish friendly relations with all the democratic countries in the world, especially with the neighboring USSR. In the mean time, promotepolitical and economical relation with China.7) In order to protect Eastern Turkistan's peace, recruit people of all nationality to establish a strong army.8) The Bank, Post Service, Telephone and Telegraph, Forestry and all underground wealth belong to the nation.9) Eliminate individualism, bureaucratic idea, nationalism and corruption among the government officials.
January 5, 1945ETR Ministry of Finance was established. Anwar Musabaef was the minister.
January 12, 1945ETR government announced the establishment of Ministry of Military. Peter Alexanderof was assigned as the minister.
March 3, 1945Ministry of National Inspection was established. Zunun Teyip was the minister.
March 13, 1945The Ministry of Land and Water was established. Sarijanbay Babajan was the minister.
April 13, 1945Jiang Jieshi's son Jiang Jingguo came to Urumqi with Jiang's handwritten letter. He discussed Xinjiang's issue with Wu Zhongxin and suggested usingminorities to handle Xinjiang affairs. He recommended assigning local nationalities as vice president or head of province level department.During the time in Urumqi, Jiang Jingguo also talked with Soviet officials about the relationship between Soviet Union and Xinjiang.
May 28, 1945Josoph Stalin indicated to American president's special representative Hopkins that: If China could comply with the condition in Yarta SecretAgreement, then Soviet army would send troops to Manchuria to fight against Japan. He also notified: He would fully support Jiang Jieshi to unify China, Soviet Union has no territorial demand to China, Xinjiang or elsewhere.
July 7, 1945Jiang Jieshi sent two secret telegraphs to Sun Ziwen, who was in the negotiation process with Soviet government officials. In the telegraphs,Jiang ordered: We will recognize Outer Mongolian independence after the war. But Soviet Union has to admit "North-East (Mancuria) as Chinese territory. Soviet Union has to promise not to support the turmoil in Xinjiang.
July 17, 1945Jiang Jieshi ordered Zhu Shaoliang and Wu Zhongxing to get ready to recover Ili region in October. Zhu and Wu thought: "In case of the negotiationbetween Stalin and Sun Ziwen about the event in Xinjiang reach a conclusion once the foreign relation between two countries improves. Then Chinese will use political method to "recover" Ili region.
August 13, 1945Guo Mingdang government foreign minister Want Shijie and Soviet Union foreign minister Molotof signed <
August 28, 1945Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Wang Ruofei and several other representatives flew to Chong Qing from Yan An to attend the peace negotiation with Guo Mingdang. When talking about how to establish new China after the war with Japan, Mao Zedong especially emphasized the Chinese Communist Party's policy of supporting the struggle for self determination of all nationalities in Xinjiang. He requested Guo Mingdang government to abandon the policy of racial discrimination and suppression and find a peaceful solution to resolve Xinjiang's problem.
September 10, 1945ETR's army reached to the west side of Manas river, the troops were only 150 kilometers away from Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. By that time, there were only 6 battalions of Guo Mingdan troops guarding Urumqi. Zhu Shaoliang sent 3 urgent telegraphs in 8 hours to Jiang Jieshi asking help. The telegraph said: "We are in a desperate situation, we don't have usable soldiers to fight, we can't get any help from outside, Urumqi is soon to betaken over by our enemy Please give us urgent help, otherwise."
September 13, 1945Zhang Zhizhong led the team of Mahsut (Guo Mingdang Central Committee member), Deng Wenxia,(The first minister of Political Bureau), Aisa Yusuf (Guo Mingdang legislative representive) Wang Zenshan, Zhan Jingyu and Muhamet Imin Bughra (Guo Mingdang Central Committee Alternate Inspector) and others flew to Urumqi. On the same night, the team held a meeting with Xinjiang high ranking officials to discuss military, political and foreign affairs in Xinjiang. They all agreed that there was no way to resolve the current problem by using military force, the best way to resolve itpolitically was to ask Soviet Union to act as mediator.
October 2, 1945ETR Government passed No. 100 legislative decisions, suggesting Guo Mingdang government implement non-military solution and negotiate the issue of independence "Eastern Turkestan". If Guo Mindang government had no objection, ETR government would soon sent Rahimjan Sabirhaji, Abduhayir Tore and Ahmetjan Kasim as representatives to go to Urumqi for the negotiation.
September 16-27, 1945ETR army was ready to take over Kashkar old city, the troops were 50 kilometers away from the city center.
September 19, 1945Queqek region was liberated by the ETR amry.
September 15, 1945Guo Mingdang government's Foreign minister Mr. Wang Shi Jie and Soviet Union foreign minister Mr. Molotof discussed the expansion of "Xinjiang Ili Event" in London, England. Molotof indicated: The event was going to be a temporary one, it would not take too long to calm down.
September 23, 1945Alihan Tore organized a ETR government conference in Altay region and decided: 1. Altay region was part of Eastern Turkestan Republic; 2.Establish Altay regional government and official divisions, assign Osman Islam as the Altay governor. 3. Elected Osman Islam, Dalilkhan Sughurbay,Zakikhan Ali as new committee member of ETR government.
October 10, 1945ETR government passed the 103 resolution and elected Ahmatjan Khasim as the committee member of ETR government.
November 25, 1946Ahmetjan Khasim was elected as the member of National Congress. During the congress meeting, Ahmetjan Khasim and other 7 representatives handed over the document asking: "Please rename Xinjiang Province to Eastern Turkestan Republic" and give high self-determination power." On the same day, Zhang Zhizhong's article "My true answer and serious advice" was published. In the article, Zhang pointed out: "Eastern Turkestan is only a geographical name in the history, it was a historical name. The name can not be used as an appeal to split the motherland. The only way for Xinjiang is autonomy (self-determination).
January 12, 1947American reporter Miss. Estonis Babara went Ghulja from Urumqi to investigate ETR revolution. She visited Hakimbek Hoja, Anwer Musabaef andGheni during the trip.
January XX, 1947According to Zhang Zhizhong's order, Liu Mengton held several meetings to discuss a feasible solution to deal with Three Regions. They decided touse: 1. Greater scale propaganda to stress Xinjiang is an inseparable part of China. 2. Organize Han, Hui, Kazakh, Kirghiz and other nationalities toagainst three regions. At the same time, to instigate Xibo, Solon and Man cultural clubs to oppose three regions.
Since the formation of ETR until early 1950 when Communist Chinese government gain control over the three districts, ETR had effectivelyexisted for about 6 years and was a de facto independent nation. ETR covered more then 20 percent of the region and consisted about 25percent of the region's population, it strongly challenged the Chinese sovereignty not only in Ghulja, Altay, Chochek three districts, but alsothroughout all region of UAR.
During its administration, ETR government formed an army with about 25,000 members, the army completely wiped out the Chinese Nationalist Army forces from the three districts and greatly weakened the control of Nationalist over the whole region, which according to Chinese communist sources:" Three region revolution contributed a great deal for the peaceful liberation of Xinjiang and for the victory of people's democratic revolution in whole China."
In August, 1949, in a letter addressed to one of the leaders of ETR, Mr. Akhmetjan Khasim, Mao Zedong wrote: "Many years of your struggle is one of the component of whole Chinese people's democratic revolutionary movement." This statement imply the importance of Three Regions Revolution toward the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
It is a historical fact that Eastern Turkistan was peacefully handed over to the communist Chinese state. One of the main reasons is that the Chinesegovernment promised to give local Turkic people self-ruling power. After about a half century later, however, the reality for the indigenouspeople is that, instead of gaining self -determination, they were eventually deprived of everything achieved through the Three District Revolution.The tragic and mysterious death of the leaders of the ETR government on August 27, 1949, signaled a decline of the ETR. 11 members of the ETR'shighest officials were reported dead as a result of an airplane crash in the mountains around the Soviet lake Baikal on their way to Beijing to attendthe "Political Consultant Conference".
Shortly after this event, the Chinese government started to "clean up" the ETR, by, first, "promoting" higher ranking ETR officials to Urumqi and other regions where ETR had less influence, and second, dismissing the ETR National Army by transforming it to agricultural units. Most of the ETR officials who had been assigned to work in the provincial government were eventually prosecuted or displaced in 1950's during theso-called "Against Right-Wing" campaign, and in 1960's during the "Great Cultural Revolution".
Nowadays, the few "lucky" minority cadres, who have an administrative power, are constantly under danger of being labeled as "splittist" if they dare to speak up for the local people. Basically, every, more or less key, position in XUAR is held by a Chinese. The ET revolution, which is described by the official Chinese historians as an "important component of the Chinese revolution", is only slightly mentioned in the Chinese history textbooks. There is no single history book in China that talks in detail about the Eastern Turkistan Republic, although, the country had existed for 6 years.
The Chinese government wants to erase the history of Eastern Turkistan Revolution, and makes everything possible to the Uighur youth to forgetabout the great event. It is up to us whether the Chinese communists succeeded in this. Let us try to learn and remember every single moment ofour history. People without history is a people without future.
THE GOVERNMENT OF EAST TURKISTAN REPUBLIC
Chairman Alikhan Tore, Uzbek(?)Vice chairman Ivan J. Polinov RussianVice chairman Akimbay Hoja, UighurSecretary General Abdurup Mahsum, Uighur Member of the Governing Council
Akimbay Hoja, UighurAbdul Buti, UighurAli Halife, UighurAbdurup Mehsum, UighurKerim Haji, UighurBolinov, White RussianMansur, UighurAkhmetjan Khasim, UighurIssakhan Muraji, KirghizRahimjan Sabirhaji, UighurSalihjanbay Babajan, ?Jumahum, Kazakh (?)Anwer Musabay, UighurFujia, ?Ubulheyir Tore, UighurPovel P. Moskolov, White RussianHuseyin Teyji Uighur(?)
Ministry Heads:Ministry of Internal Affairs: Rehimjan Sabirhaji, MoskolovMinistry of Finance; Anwer MusabayMinistry of Law; Muhemetjan MehsumMinistry of Foreign Affairs; Akhmetjan KhasimMinistry of Education: Seypidin AzizVice minister: HamitMinistry of Agriculture: Alijan BayMinistry of Religious Affairs: Salihjan BayMinistry of Propaganda: Abdukerim Abbasov? Minaigen Hoja(?)Ministry of Banking: Gansip HojaMinistry of Health: Muhettin Kanat, M.D. Kasimjan Kembery(?)
Military affairs:
Commander of ETR forces: Peter L. Aleksandrov, Ivan J. PolinovVice-commander: Issakhan MurajiChief of staff: Latifjan Kanat
Special Posts
Yining Police Chief: YebijanYining District Special Commissioner: Akim TajVice-commissioner: Abdullah HanCommissioner of Military Law: Aini
