Chinese troops flood into restive Urumqi

Chinese troops flood into restive Urumqi

URUMQI, China (AFP) — China poured troops into its restive Urumqi city in a massive show of force, as President Hu Jintao abandoned a G8 summit in Italy to deal with a deadly outbreak of ethnic unrest.

With raw tensions between China's dominant Han people and its Muslim Uighurs showing no signs of easing, many Han residents insisted on carrying their own makeshift weapons following the violence.

In Urumqi, the capital of the remote northwest Xinjiang region where 156 people died in riots on Sunday, army helicopters circled overhead as thousands of soldiers and riot police filled the city shouting out "protect the people".

"We support this. The government has to take action to protect the people," said a Han Chinese man surnamed Run, 45, as he watched the troops roll by in trucks.

"But they should have got here sooner. It took them three days to do this. Why so long?"

After authorities blamed Muslim Uighurs for Sunday's unrest that also left more than 1,000 people injured, Han Chinese took to the streets Tuesday with shovels, meat cleavers and other makeshift weapons vowing to defend themselves.

The city descended into chaos as mobs, sometimes made up of thousands of Han, surged towards Uighur neighbourhoods, only to be pushed back by security forces who fired volleys of tear gas.

After a night-time curfew was declared on Tuesday, Chinese authorities appeared determined to show they were able to maintain order, with some troops carrying rifles with bayonets affixed.

There were thousands of riot police lined up wearing helmets and carrying shields on a main road in central Urumqi dividing the city from a southern Uighur district, with columns of soldiers behind them.

Trucks rolled by with people shouting into loudspeakers: "Everybody please cooperate, please go home."

But while the mobs had not returned, many Han Chinese were still carrying makeshift weapons on Wednesday morning in the city centre and outlying districts, AFP reporters witnessed.

"I'm carrying this just for my own feeling of safety," said a man named Li as he walked near the city centre carrying a martial arts nanchuk -- two batons held together by a chain.

One woman in her 30s was seen walking on the street carrying a large stick with nails coming out of it, while others were carrying knives and steel poles.

Many shops and businesses remained closed and there were no buses or taxis running through the centre of town.

Highlighting the severity of the crisis, the worst ethnic unrest to hit China for decades, the government announced President Hu had cut short a trip to Italy for the Group of Eight leaders' summit.

"In light of the current situation in Xinjiang, President Hu Jintao returned to China early this morning," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding he would be replaced at the summit by State Councillor Dai Bingguo.

International alarm over the crisis intensified, with Muslim countries, the United Nations and the European Union expressing concern.

"I urge Uighur and Han civic leaders and the Chinese authorities at all levels, to exercise great restraint so as not to spark further violence and loss of life," said the UN's top human rights official, Navi Pillay.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference decried Tuesday "the disproportionate use of force" by China and called on Beijing to investigate "these serious incidents and bring the people responsible to justice swiftly".

Xinjiang's eight million Uighurs make up nearly half the population of Xinjiang, a vast area of deserts and mountains rich in natural resources that borders Central Asia.

The Turkic-speaking people have long complained of repression and discrimination under Chinese rule, but Beijing insists it has brought economic prosperity to the region. source

 

I say let the mobs chase them out, this is the only way to defeat "terrorism", let the people have at'em. The government can only get in the way now.

 

"Uighurs, a Turkic people who are largely Muslim and share linguistic and cultural bonds with Central Asia......"

Isn't it a pattern wherever there are muslims, they somehow are all the time rhe "oppressed" people. In India, Philipines, Kosovo, Chechnia, France ....
now China.

 

They are oppressed, haven't you read?

These towel heads need to stop getting offended by everything and chill out.

 

It always leads back to Muslims. Religion of peace my ass.

 

Yeah... give them some assault rifles and let them sort it out...

Thats an interesting pattern alright...

Interesting article...

P.S. Towel head is a misnomer. Only the Arabs wear a Kafiya, whether they're Muslims or coptic Christians, doesn't matter. Its a cultural attire. Other Muslims don't wear a kafiya.

You Betcha

 

well it was ment to happen can not keep people in one country like that same with serbia and CCCP it all going down. Lets see when china start breaking up.

 

The interesting point in these Uighur articles is that it is often emphasized that they are Muslim people. That is so that the first impression of the conflict on an average westerners mind will be that it must arise out of a religional issue and the muslims here probably are extremist Al-Qaeda-ish people carrying out the China campaign of the recent "global war".

Well that is nothing like it. For first, Uighur Turks live where they live for thousands of years, the wars date back even before Islam. You can even see some hint in a why China Wall was built article. Since they lost independence they have been oppressed and violated severely. If the only reason why they don't get the sympathy of western community, like the Tibetan people, who are pretty much in the same situation, is their religion, be it, but all Turkic states are in support of Uighurs.

Here's a piece of article:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ea9d4f10-6321-11dd-9fd0-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

 

Thanks for the interesting post. Great information. I knew almost nothing about the Uighurs history. Thank you...

 

Who care religion? we support them, because of their nationality.

The following message was posted by a person named “TD” in the website of :

http://www.zhongguo.ca/bbs/htm_data/5/0907/43523.html

“I just made a phone call to Xinjiang. The situation has spread into a large-scale. Immigrant Han Chinese has already started actions. They are beating and killing every Uyghur they can find. The number of the Uyghur shops destroyed far exceeds those destroyed on July 6 and owned by Han Chinese. The number of the Uyghurs killed and injured is also many times more than what was reported. I was told that the people walking on the streets are only Han Chinese. Almost all of the Han Chinese walking on streets are carrying long knives. It is unimaginable that some Han Chinese killed Uyghurs first, then hang their dead bodies on trees. Some Han Chinese people are standing on crossing bridges and throwing Uyghurs out of the bridges. There were so many dead bodies, and some trash-collecting trucks started to move them away. The policemen standing nearby are pretending they didn’t see anything, and sometimes saying “hit (the Uyghurs) at the life-threatening places”, this has greatly encouraged those Han Chinese.”

If the above link is not working, I'm sure you'll understand why.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3dK2ewCH24

i can not believe that china is the most barbaric nation ever.

 

Hi,Guys,What are you doing guys?Did you forget the 911?Did you forget the Bin Laden?

Once again,the Muslims proved themselves that they are not so happy to accept anything advanced,and some of the hard cores out there are just want to build a pure Islamic country and they do not care the method to get rid of all the barriers.

May God,please clean all the unbelievers and give the world peace.

 

It certainly looks to me like the Han Chinese are acting like an uncivilized mob in attacking the Uighurs. Sadly, the people have to look to the Chinese government to force order and maintain the peace. Of course, we all know how the repressive communist regime goes about doing that.

It is pretty disgusting to watch people act so inhumanely toward other people. I feel very sorry for those being attacked. It also makes me very thankful that I live in such a wonderful country with so much harmony between different types of people.

It is a scary time to be a Uighurs in China.

 

I would prefer to live under US invasion than this barbarians, i will never call again US soldiers as killers.

iraqi people luckier than Uighurs.

 

The first image is described by a Muslims saying:the Han Chinese attacked Uighur people.

But just check the image carefully.What we find?

The image is about car accident happened in HuangZhou China,a city 3000 kilometres away from Xinjiang,a few weeks ago.During the image a family was injured.a girl,a farther and a mother.And you can also see that two traffic police are dealing with the case.

The Muslims is using the image to cheat all the people worldwide.So what?The terror can not build themselves a pure Islamic country by war,Do they believe they can get their goal by cheating others???

 

We do not know if the person is really called to XinJiang or not,even the person had called to XinJiang,we do not if the people in XinJiang is really said the true.Because we know that the Muslims are good at to give us something beyond our imagination.And we also do not know if the han Chinese is really attack the Uighurs.Because some reports out there is also saying that the Uighurs is attacking the the han Chinese.

So what is the truth behind the PC screen?We shall not just accept whatever they say.Agree?

 

<sarcasm>
oh those damn muslims, they are killing themselves and blame innocent china goverment.
</sarcasm>

oh common guy, china against terrorism? are you kidding, you are trying to get support of western people, it's to easy to understand from your posts.

yeah, looks funny, do you think western people is stupid? there is no difference between laden's islamic state and communist china, both killers, both oppressive regimes.

<sarcasm>
i just heard that china is building second wall against Turks, hah.
</sarcasm>

 

Have I said the western people is stupid?

It is definitely that not just the western people are smart,most people out there are smart,smart people have sent detectors to the Mars,invented the internet,do genetic engineering,they do the job to increase the human welfare.Those people are the hope of our planet.

Then you tell me what the muslims did?

Besides,Have I said that the Uighurs killed themselves?What I said is that you must get evidence to support your theory.Because people are not stupid.

Just image,we write articles to Google,and received some money for Adsense.So It is also possible,for some people give money to others for writing an untruth article which saying an fake truth,and also saying that for some reason they can not get evidence to the public.Technically,that is possible,and we normally think that those people do these to get public's attention.

Know you said that the Uighurs killed is killed by han Chinese,you should give us evidence.

 

Seo, what do you make of the video? It is pretty clear those people are viciously attacking men who are cowering in fear and are posing no threat to anyone.

What do you see when you watch that video? Do you justify the men repeatedly hitting other men with stones trying to crush their hands or knees or lower back.

 

Dangg.. I always thought Chinese people were relatively peaceful. Did the Uighurs steal their fish and rice? Craziness.