Word: xinjiang
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Chinese authorities announced today that some 140 people were killed and more than 800 wounded in protests that roiled Urumqi, the capital of China's far western Xinjiang province, on July 5. According to the official news agency Xinhua, Urumqi police chief Liu Yaohua told a press conference that the number of dead was still rising and that there had been extensive damage to property...
...China blames ongoing unrest in the far-flung province on separatist groups seeking an independent state of East Turkestan. During the 1980s and early '90s, Xinjiang experienced a number of bombings and protests, but it had been quiet up until the time of the Beijing Olympics in August 2008. In the lead-up to the Games and after, separatist groups allegedly staged several fatal attacks on Chinese security forces. Responsibility for two deadly bus bombings in Shanghai and Yunnan province during the same period, meanwhile, was also claimed by a Uighur separatist group, a claim Beijing denies, calling the incidents...
...Pomona College in California and an author of numerous articles and books on the region, said it was particularly notable that Sunday's protests took place in Urumqi, where Uighurs make up a tiny proportion of the population. "Urumqi is the center of Chinese power and influence in Xinjiang, and there haven't been any protests there since the early '90s, which makes this very, very unusual," said Gladney. Bequelin of Human Rights Watch concurred, noting that not only is the Uighur population small, but also that the city was already under very tight control by the security forces, meaning...
...Urumqi is home to a number of universities, and students were reportedly well represented among the protesters. According to Alim of WUC, after the street protests had been stopped, Chinese security forces "stormed into Xinjiang University and several other universities, entering the dormitories and arresting students." He said many students were killed in front of the gates of the university by armed security forces shooting automatic weapons and using armored personnel carriers...
...Reaction in China outside of Xinjiang has been muted thus far, largely because - as is usual with issues considered sensitive by the authorities - major Chinese websites have removed or shut down readers' comments, a traditional channel for the Chinese to weigh in on current affairs. On mitbbs.cn, a popular online chat room frequented by overseas Chinese, responses reflect a rush of nationalism. "We must spare no violence to unify our nation," writes one netizen named "welltwo." "I support tough military crackdown," says another. "They [the rioters] deserve no explanation." Meanwhile, news about an information lockdown in Xinjiang has been widely...