By Arman
Translated by Uyghur Times English Edition
Chinese border control has recently confiscated the passports of Chinese nationals returning from abroad through Chinese international airports, Uyghur Times Uyghur Edition reports.
One message on Chinese social media reads: ‘After the Southern Airlines flight CZ3082 from Dubai landed at Guangzhou Airport at 9 a.m, the customs officials asked all Chinese passengers separately if they had any intention of leaving China again. The officials cut off the corners of some travelers’ passports (to render them unusable)’.
Another Chinese student wrote: ‘I was traveling to Canada to study there. When I arrived at the Chinese passport control after checking in my luggage, the border control officers asked me why I needed to travel abroad. I showed them my student visa. They then asked me whether the courses were available online. I explained that I was learning the language right now and that the classes were also available online. He called his boss. He then abruptly cut off the corner of my passport and asked me if I would be taking the classes online.’
Ismail (Maju), a Tungan intellectual in the United States and a political analyst, says: ‘A few years ago, the Chinese officials used to interrogate Uyghurs at the airports and even cut off their passports. Then they would detain exiled Uyghurs. Many Chinese citizens at the time did not care and even supported the government’s unjust policies against the Uyghurs.
The same appears to be happening to many Han Chinese citizens now.