China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) appealed for greater international cooperation in combating terrorism after issuing a list of the first identified " East Turkistan" terrorist organizations and 11 alleged terrorists on Monday.

The identified "East Turkistan" terrorist organizations are: the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the East Turkistan Liberation Organization (ETLO), the World Uygur Youth Congress ( WUYC) and the East Turkistan Information Center (ETIC).

The 11 identified "East Turkistan" terrorists are: Hasan Mahsum, Muhanmetemin Hazret, Dolqun Isa, Abudujelili Kalakash, Abudukadir Yapuquan, Abudumijit Muhammatkelim, Abudula Kariaji, Abulimit Turxun, Hudaberdi Haxerbik, Yasen Muhammat, and Atahan Abuduhani.

Zhao Yongchen, deputy director of the ministry's Counter- Terrorism Bureau, said the four terrorist groups, all based abroad, had conducted terrorist activities in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China aimed at splitting the country, including bombings, assassinations, arsons, poisoning and assaults.

He said the ETIM had shot dead a policeman and killed several innocent people in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The ETLO had committed many violent crimes, including arsons, bomb attacks and bank robberies, in Xinjiang of China, Kirghizstan and Kazakhstan. It also killed a Chinese diplomat to Kirghizstan.

The WUYC had conducted a series of bombings in Xinjiang. The ETIC had masterminded and directed attacks on oil and natural gas pipelines, railways and other large-scale civilian infrastructure facilities in China, he said.

"These terrorist activities have seriously undermined the lives and property, security and social security of Chinese people of all ethnic groups and posed a grave threat to security and stability in some countries and regions," Zhao said.

He said China had reinforced counter-terrorism efforts since the September 11 attacks in the United States by amending counter- terrorism laws, establishing and improving coordination in counter- terrorism, beefing up entry and exit checks, and enhancing safeguards on airports, ports and other national infrastructures.

Chinese police had seized 98 guns, over 4,500 hand grenades and a large cache of swords and knives, detonators and explosives belonging to the ETIM and its subordinates. In February, they uncovered in the northern province of Hebei a terrorist group organized by a member of the ETLO.

The four identified terrorist organizations had colluded with each other and had close connections with Osama Bin Laden's Al- Qaeda organization, the Taliban regime of Afghanistan, Chechen rebels and other terrorist organizations.

The ETIM was put on the list of global terrorist organizations by the United Nations on Sept. 11, 2002, and three identified terrorists were already subjects of Interpol red notices. Chinese police had requested Interpol issue red notices on the other eight.

Zhao called on the authorities in all countries to disband the four organizations, to ban their activities, support, financing and protection of these organizations and to freeze their assets.

He hoped all countries would investigate the whereabouts of 11 identified terrorists and extradite them to China.

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