英语阅读：A tragedy that shook a nation
Sixteen young lives perished. The young men were killed by terrorists. Theywere policemen but they were also sons of parents. They belonged to an Armed
Police unit but they were unarmed when they were slain in the most brutal
way.
The terrorists used a bulldozer, home-made bombs and knives to attack the
policemen, who were doing their regular morning drill in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur
autonomous region, on Monday, killing 16 of them and injuring 16 others.
When the news reached me through a mobile phone news channel, my first
reaction was a recollection of Armed Police soldiers rescuing earthquake victims
in Sichuan in May. The most striking image was the photo showing a soldier
holding a baby in his arms. The smiling young man in army uniform looked
childish himself.
Now, 16 soldiers of the same age were killed. Their mothers are weeping;
the whole nation is feeling the pain.
The terrorist attack was obviously the performance of those who seek the
establishment of the so-called Eastern Turkistan State, an idea that has only
met condemnations from countries across the continents, those who were admired
by some Westerners as fighters for "freedom" and "human rights", and those who
are followers of a Xinjiang woman whom some Western politicians recommended as a
candidate for the Nobel peace prize.
For many years, some Western politicians have been so sympathetic with
those who want to split China that they even keep silent at the violent and
terrorist actions of the separatists. What happened in Lhasa, Tibet, in March
were exactly such actions of violence and terrorism. The Westerners, however,
never expressed condemnation of these actions.
The anti-China clamor from the Western politicians that has intensified
along with the approaching of the opening of the Olympic Games amounts to a
morale booster to the separatists.
The killing of the 16 young soldiers in Kashgar was the first of its kind
in China. It is not only a challenge to the Chinese government but a challenge
to China's common people as well, because it seriously hurt the feelings of the
Chinese people, who had been harassed by so much sneer and fault-finding during
their preparation and anticipation for the Olympic Games.
The terrorist move is also a challenge to all the peace-loving people
throughout the world. At a time when the world is battling with many problems,
including economic recession, grain shortage and ecological deterioration, peace
and harmony is especially more precious than ever before. All terrorist actions
are against the benefit, and the will, of the people throughout the world.
The Kashgar terrorist attack has aroused great anger among the multi-ethnic
Chinese people. The terrorists have turned themselves into enemies of 1.3
billion people.
We Chinese have been living in peace for three decades immersing ourselves
in pursuit of economic well-being. "Fighting" has been absent from our lives for
many years. Now we find that terrorism is no longer something distant from our
lives. The latest event has awakened us to our tradition of meeting challenges
bravely and triumphing over any enemy.
In Chinese culture, a citizen's duty to his/her nation and family is
superior to personal concerns and public interests transcend those of
individuals. Decades of pursuit of wealth may have blurred such a sense among
some of our people but it is latent in the soul of every Chinese. Once
triggered, it will become a force that is strong enough to overpower any
adversities in our nation's way of advancement toward revitalization.
Terrorists, beware! China is no paradise for you.
页:
[1]