Uyghur Muslim economic fears ( Al Jazeera English )

China's minority Uighur community, the majority of whom live in the northeastern autonomous region of East Turkistan (so-called Xinjiang ), fear they could be left isolated by Chinese government plans to modernise and develop the region economically.

This region is the country's largest natural gas-producing areas but as Al Jazeera's Melissa Chang reports from Kashgar, it is also one of the poorest.

The Uighurs, a Muslim Turkic ethnic group who have long complained they are victims of government discrimination and repression, say China's declaration of Kashgar, a city in East Turkistan (so-called Xinjiang ),, as a Special Economic Zone, will probably benefit the country's predominant Han Chinese at their expense.

They say their jobs and land are under threat as a consequence of a massive influx of Han Chinese migrants.

Meanwhile, courts in East Turkistan (so-called Xinjiang ), have sentenced four Uighurs to death on Tuesday for their role in violence that left 32 dead in July, the regional government said in a statement on its official website.

The government blamed so-called religious separatists for "terrorism, arson and murder" in the region's cities of Kashgar and Hotan. It also said they aim to establish an independent state called East Turkestan.

But the World Uighur Congress, a Germany-based exile group, said the convicted had been tortured while in detention and were given only very limited access to lawyers.

"The so-called open trial is a special type of Chinese political swindle," Dilxat Raxit, spokesman of the group, said in an statement.

Geoff Crothall, a researcher at the China Labour Bulletin, a rights group, said social problems and ethnic tensions in the region would probably escalate as the government implements new economic projects there.

"If you just look at the population figures of East Turkistan (so-called Xinjiang ),, only two million people there actually have a residency card, while about 12 million others are just migrant workers," he told Al Jazeera.

"The Uighurs, the indigenous group in Kashgar, are going to be subject to a flood of Han Chinese as well.

"Because it's always the Han Chinese migrant workers who build the new office buildings, new factories, and that is clearly going to create further tension in the future."

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[saveuyghurs]

@SwordofAllah92 : Ameen!

[saveuyghurs]

exactly ! I am agree with you !

[Takkyatukka]

@EriCieLife In the 7th and 8th centery, most part of central Aisa and north of the great wall were called Uyghur Empire. If we keep going back to further history then whole central Asia and north of China has got to be called Uyghur Empire. If we even go back then the terrotories i mentioned above has to be called Hun Empire. By the way Wing Empreror was not Chinese(chinese means usually Han) but Manchu who belong to altaic people such as Mongol, Korean, Japanese, Turkick, Hungarian,fins etc.

[Takkyatukka]

@EriCieLife From 1864 til 1886, it was called Kashgaria, in 1921 Eastern Turkistan was established in Kashgar. In 1942, the republic of East Turkistan was established again in Ghulja. The president was Ehmetjan Kasimi. If we use the name which was used a long time ago by occupiers then we have to call China Mongolia. Becasue a bit before then that time the territory of socalled china now was under Kublayhan.

[Takkyatukka]

I think the professor does not know much about Uyghurs. Uyghurs are seen as a threat, dangour to the Chinese regime. Chinese regime see Uyghurs as enemies, but not the Chinese migrant workers. The charictar of the problems Uyghurs are facing and the Chinese migrant workers are facing are very different. Chnese regime would not masacare Chinese migratn workers if they demonstrate but they massacared Uyghurs and Tibetans in 2008 and 2009.