Residents of Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, have used their personal experiences to debunk the lies of politicians from certain Western countries concerning human rights violations in the region.
At a press conference held in Hotan on Monday, Uniqem Sidek, an employee of a local agriculture and animal husbandry company, said the "forced labor" accusations cooked up by some Western politicians are "very ridiculous."
"We go to work, get off work on time and earn stable incomes. We go shopping with our friends in our spare time," she said. "How can this be forced labor?"
Uniqem Sidek began work in the company after graduating from university in June last year. The company is among a number of agriculture and animal husbandry enterprises in Hotan that have partnered with local farmers and cooperatives to help the farmers make more money.
Uniqem Sidek said her company employs more than 100 residents from nearby areas and has cooperated with over 2,700 local farmer families.
"My parents are very happy that I earn a monthly income of 4,000 yuan (about 620 U.S. dollars) and that I can help other farmers get rich," she said.
Patigul Kasim, a food shop owner in Hotan's Moyu County and a graduated trainee of the county's vocational education and training center, explained at the conference how she shook off the influence of religious extremism to embrace a better life.
She recalled that some of her customers had inculcated her with extremist religious thoughts such as "Muslim women should not go out to make money." Influenced by these thoughts, her relationship with her family went sour at that time.
At the persuasion of her mother, Patigul Kasim decided to study at the Moyu County vocational education and training center, where she learned to rid herself of religious extremism and improve her cooking skills.
After graduation from the center, she applied for interest-free loans to expand her business, selling fast food and desserts at her shops.
"Many customers visit my shops, and I'm very busy every day," she said.
Mahmut Umarjan, a prefectural official, said at the conference that Hotan has not reported violent terrorist cases for four years and eight months since it launched the crackdown on terrorism and extremism according to law.
The infiltration of extremism has been effectively curbed and the security situation has significantly improved, with a sharp drop in numbers of criminal and public security cases, he said.
