The details of the smuggling of China suspects exposed that the staff of the Turkish Embassy had directly intervened.

Original photo: China police repatriated stowaways.

[Global Military Report] On the 9th, China police successfully repatriated 109 illegal immigrants from Thailand and organized members of a smuggling gang, which aroused great international concern. The United States, Turkey and other countries condemned Thailand’s actions, claiming that these people were "refugees" and worried that the repatriated people would be treated unfairly after returning to China. In this regard, Tong Bishan, director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security of China, said in an exclusive interview with Lianhe Zaobao on the 11th that this is what critics have always said, aiming at "demonizing" China.

Lianhe Zaobao reported on the 12th that Tong Bishan is a front-line worker and expert of the Ministry of Public Security of China in dealing with the problem of cracking down on illegal smuggling and immigration. In an interview for nearly an hour, he revealed that this group of people repatriated from Thailand to China is the ninth since this year. They are mainly from Xinjiang and are stowaways or members of gangs that organize stowaways. Tong Bishan said that these 109 people are currently in Urumqi, and more than a dozen of them are involved in terrorist crimes. They will be investigated and dealt with by the judiciary.

Tong Bishan said that these people first left the country through various methods, then passed through Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, assembled in Malaysia, then moved to Turkey, and finally went to Syria and Iraq to participate in the so-called "jihad."

According to Lianhe Zaobao, preliminary investigation shows that these repatriated people include not only young men, but also many women, some elderly people and children. During the process of smuggling, they have to pay thousands of dollars to "snakeheads" in various places, and some of the money also flows to the bank accounts of the "East Iraqi Movement" terrorists. Tong Bishan said that these people are not well educated and it is more difficult to make a living in other places. Moreover, there are no legal documents on me, so the living conditions after leaving the country are very worrying.

The Financial Times reported on the 12th that Tong Bishan was quoted as saying that due to the above reasons, these people "are easily controlled by local forces, especially terrorist organizations like the East Iraqi Movement, which will further organize young people to brainwash them and then let them go to the front to fight, which is actually cannon fodder."

Tong Bishan added: "After the stowaways arrived in Turkey, they met more than one terrorist organization, maybe two or three. Because of the shortage of people, these organizations will rob people. " Tong Bishan said that terrorist organizations will give money to stowaways, which is equivalent to recruiting soldiers, at least $2,000 per person. When asked how many China stowaways have arrived in Syria or Iraq, Tong Bishan said that it is difficult to estimate the number, but it is not in the minority.

The Global Times reporter learned from the Ministry of Public Security that the China police have informed the Turkish police about eight "snakeheads" and asked the Turkish police to arrest them. Since October last year, China police have arrested 22 Turkish criminal suspects in China, who confessed that they were all instructed by "snakeheads" in Turkey to organize illegal immigration activities. According to the police, the staff of Turkish embassies in some Southeast Asian countries provide assistance to stowaways. In September 2014, the staff of the Turkish Embassy in a Southeast Asian country directly participated in "rescuing" Aili Ahmad, the leader of a smuggling gang organized by China, who was captured by the local law enforcement authorities, falsely claiming that he was a Turkish citizen, repeatedly pressured him to release him, and finally successfully sent him to Turkey. The man is still at large in Turkey. In February this year, the organized stowaway Wubrikasen Maitiru, who was arrested by the police, confessed that he took photos of stowaways and fabricated Turkish names, and handled more than 500 Turkish identity certificates from the Turkish Embassy in a Southeast Asian country, helping more than 400 China stowaways to arrive in Turkey as Turkish citizens. In June this year, the China police jointly launched an operation with Southeast Asian countries, and seized 653 Turkish passports at the residence of a criminal suspect. The document experts involved in handling the case said that the above passports are forged, and the level of forgery is extremely poor, which is easy to distinguish. Smugglers can successfully enter Turkey with such passports.

对于中方将组织偷渡的操控者指向土耳其，土耳其官方尚未做出回应。《环球时报》记者此前曾数次询问土耳其驻华使馆，但均未得到相关答复。

北京大学土耳其问题专家昝涛12日对《环球时报》记者分析了土耳其频频介入中国新疆事务的深层历史原因。首先，土耳其是个“(泛)突厥主义”国家，自视为讲突厥语的不同民族的领袖，很多土耳其人称我国新疆为“东突厥斯坦”，而这种在土耳其拥有一定民间基础的倾向，不管哪个党派都很难视而不见;其次就是泛伊斯兰主义的问题，昝涛认为，它甚至被发展成为一种叫做泛伊斯兰主义的意识形态，这种意识形态至少从19世纪末的奥斯曼帝国开始就被有意识地运用了，土耳其的正义与发展党及其政府领导者经常诉诸某种“穆斯林国际主义”的策略，对世界不同地区穆斯林事务指手画脚。最后，土耳其的价值观有很大成分是西方的，在政治体制、人权等问题上与西方有同样的看法和主张，自然也分享了同样的偏见。

Yun Tao believes that China has always attached importance to its relations with Turkey. But this time, the Ministry of Public Security suggested the problem in this way, which is also a warning to Turkey. Qi Tao said that only relevant reports had been seen before, but most domestic scholars did not know what role the Turkish government played in the smuggling incident and how it worked. This time, the Ministry of Public Security directly stated that the problem should be that it had more reliable evidence. "Turkish officials are involved in sensitive political and social issues in China in this way, and it is natural for China to express such an attitude and position."

Yun Tao said that the Turkish government has always stated that it respects China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, does not interfere in China’s internal affairs, and does not allow anyone to engage in activities that undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on Turkish territory. However, so far, the Turkish government has not made a clear commitment to stop similar incidents when foreign embassies are involved in helping illegal immigrants.

In response to a statement made by a the State Council spokesman on the 9th on Thailand’s repatriation of illegal immigrants to China, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said on the 11th that the US statement ignored the facts and was full of political prejudice, which condoned illegal immigration and illegal immigration activities and violated relevant international conventions and laws. China expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to this, and has made solemn representations to the US. [Global Times reporter Ni Hao Fan Lingzhi]