A total of 109 illegal immigrants, who were repatriated from Thailand to China on Thursday, had been on their way to Turkey, Syria or Iraq to join jihad, the Ministry of Public Security confirmed Saturday.
Several recruitment gangs were uncovered in Turkey by a Chinese police investigation, which was also discovered that Turkish diplomats in some Southeast Asian countries had facilitated the illegal movement of people.
A large number of radicalized Chinese and the heads of organized gangs, also known as snakeheads, have been deported from Southeast Asia this year, according to the ministry.
Of the 109 individuals returned to China this week, 13 had fled China after being implicated in terrorist activities, and another two had escaped detention, said a ministry statement.
According to their accounts, many had been radicalized by materials released by the World Uygur Congress and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).
The recruitment gangs had used religious extremism to encourage people to go to Syria and Iraq to participate in jihad.
Some snakeheads, including Mehmut Obulela who was one of the people repatriated, told police that the gangs were well established and had a clear hierarchy. The gangs organized people to travel over land or sea through countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand to enter Turkey.
After arriving in Turkey, many, led by the ETIM terrorist group, went on to Syria to join the fighting. Even those who did not get as far as Syria, were involved in jihadist activities wherever they had stopped, they said.
A terrorist attack on a railway station in Kunming, the provincial capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, on March 1, 2014, was the work of terrorists who had failed to illegally leave China. The attack resulted in the death of 31 people and 141 were injured.
Police also found that some radicalized people, instructed by the ETIM, were trained in Syria or Iraq and then returned to China to expand their terrorist network. These individuals were also implicated in terrorist activities.
The police have arrested many of these returnees, and uncovered several terrorist plots this year, said the statement.
Each illegal immigrant had to pay several thousand U.S. dollars to snakeheads. Most of the funds were finally remitted to bank accounts opened by ETIM terrorists, according to the police.
Investigations showed that the illegal immigration was organized by those in Turkey.
Chinese police have detained 22 Turkish suspects since October last year and they admitted being directed and assisted by organizers in Turkey.
Police also said Turkish diplomats to a Southeast Asian country had directly participated in "helping out" a suspect, Eli Ahmad, from local authorities in September last year.
The Chinese suspect was a member of the gang of illegal migration, but Turkish diplomats claimed he was a Turkish citizen and pressed local authorities to release him. Eli Ahmad was finally transported to Turkey and still at large.
In June this year, Chinese police cooperated with their counterparts in Southeast Asia to seize 653 fabricated Turkish passports at a suspect's residence.
Some subordinate organizations of the Turkey-based World Uygur Congress have frequently sent their members to Southeast Asian countries to mastermind illegal migration, police said.
They also colluded with some Turkish politicians and forces to assist the illegal migration and "rescue" those detained.
An official with China's Ministry of Public Security said the Chinese government has always been cracking down on illegal migration and violent terrorist crimes.
Those repatriated to China wold be treated according to the law. Those suspected of committing crimes would be dealt with following legal procedures while the others would receive appropriate treatment after being educated, the official said.
He also praised the Thai police for repatriating the illegal migrants to China under the cooperation framework between the two countries.
The Chinese police would strengthen international cooperation to crack down on cross-border crimes and terrorist groups including the ETIM so as to maintain security and stability of China and the region, the official said.
