July 2009 Ürümqi riots: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 07:29, 6 July 2009
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (July 2009) |
| 2009 Ürümqi riots | |
|---|---|
 Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in red | |
| Location | Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,  China |
| Date | July 5, 2009 |
| Deaths | at least 140 |
| Injured | 800 |
The July 2009 Ürümqi riots broke out on 5 July 2009, in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in Northwestern China. They involved anywhere from 1,000[1][2][3] to 3,000[4] Uyghurs. The total death toll has risen past 140, according to Chinese government sources.[5][6]
It is believed the violence was caused by ethnic conflict between Han Chinese and the Uyghur minority, and dissatisfaction with the Chinese central government's handling of the deaths of two Uyghur workers in Guangdong.[1] Xinhua said more than 800 others have been injured and that many motor vehicles were burned.[2] Police attempted to quell the riots with tear gas, water hoses, armored vehicles, and roadblocks.[2][7][8]
Causes
The riots were generally assumed to have started over the killings of two Uyghurs by Han co-workers in Shaoguan, Guangdong, on 25 June 2009[1][4][9][10]—the killings had been prompted by a false rumor, made up by a disgruntled former co-worker, that several Uyghur men had raped Han women in a Shaoguan factory.[11][12] The Ürümqi riots began after a protest held in the Grand Bazaar denouncing the government's handling of the incident and demanding a full investigation of the killings.[8]
Central government officials, on the other hand, said the riots were "a preempted, organized violent crime" which was "instigated and directed from abroad, and carried out by outlaws in the country", meaning the East Turkestan independence movement and external forces supporting Uyghur independence[13] led by Uyghur dissident Rebiya Kadeer working from abroad.[13] Kadeer has denied the charges.[11]
Initial demonstrations and escalation
The New York Times cites an eyewitness who said the riots started sometime after 6 p.m. on 5 July. The protesters took to the streets, burning and smashing vehicles and confronting security forces, following a protest there to denounce government handling of a conflict involving Han Chinese and Uighur factory workers in far southern China in late June, when two Uighurs died.[11]
The exiled World Uyghur Congress said the demonstration began as a peaceful assembly. There were thousands of people shouting to stop ethnic discrimination, demanding an explanation..."[9] Then, police started firing indiscriminately. According to third party accounts, the confrontation involved about 3,000 Uighurs some armed with batons and knives. Apparently, some 1,000 police officers armed with tasers and fired gunshots into the air to try to quell the unrest, and that at least 300 had been arrested.[14]
Xinhua reported that 140 people were killed and 816 injured, but did not specify the ethnic identities of the victims.[5] Sources outside the country also reported "hundreds" of people injured.[14]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Epstein, Gady (5 July 2009). "Uighur Unrest". Forbes. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ a b c Agencies (5 July 2009). "Civilians die in China riots". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ "China's Xinjiang hit by violence". BBC News. 5 July 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ a b Macartney, Jane (5 July 2009). "China in deadly crackdown after Uighurs go on rampage". The Times. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ a b "Death toll in Xinjiang riot rises to 140, still climbing". Xinhua. 6 July 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
- ^ "China says 140 dead in Xinjiang unrest". Reuters. 2009-06-06.
- ^ Macartney, Jane (5 July 2009). "Uighur unrest threatens Beijing rulers' biggest party for a decade".
- ^ a b Branigan, Tania; Watts, Jonathan (5 July 2009). "Uighur Muslims riot as ethnic tensions rise in China". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ a b Reuters (5 July 2009). "China calls Xinjiang riot a plot against its rule".
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ "Riots in Urumqi". New Dominion. 5 July 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ a b c Wong, Edward (5 July 2009). "Riots in Western China Amid Ethnic Tension". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ "'No Rapes' in Riot Town". Radio Free Asia. 29 June 2009.
- ^ a b "Civilians and armed police officer killed in NW China violence". Xinhua News. 5 July 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ a b Barriaux, Marianne. "Three die during riots in China's Xinjiang region: state media".
{{cite news}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help)