‘Separatists’ blamed by Beijing for syringe attacks
Mimi Lau 05 September 2009
Five people have died in the massive protests against syringe attacks in the restive Xinjiang city of Urumqi, an official said last night.
Xinhua quoted the city’s vice-mayor, Zhang Hong, as saying: “On Thursday, 14 people were injured and sent to hospital and five people were killed in the incidents, including two “innocent people”, later defined as members of the public.
He gave no further breakdown of who the dead were.
The vice-mayor was speaking after Beijing said for the first time yesterday that the syringe attacks were instigated by “ethnic separatist forces”. Thousands of Han Chinese continued to protest yesterday despite a massive police show of force.
Beijing had not previously identified those responsible for the attacks or said whether they were ethnically motivated.
The public security minister, who has arrived in Urumqi to take charge of the situation, said the attacks were premeditated, a continuation of the July 5 ethnic violence between Han Chinese and Uygurs, and aimed at undermining ethnic unity. The authorities say nearly 200 died in July.
The protesters, angered by the lack of security, after the syringe stabbings took to the streets for a second day, although in smaller numbers compared with the protest on Thursday, when tens of thousands rallied and called for the resignation of the region’s communist leader Wang Lequan . Police used tear gas and public appeals to break up the crowds as some Han tried to break into Uygur-populated districts. There was no ethnic violence, but the atmosphere was tense.
Three Hong Kong TV journalists covering the protest were detained, handcuffed and roughed up by armed police yesterday. TVB senior reporter Lam Tsz-ho, his cameraman Lau Wing-chuan and Now TV cameraman Lam Chun-wai were tied up and detained by police for hours before being released.
They all had valid credentials for reporting on the mainland. The incident was widely condemned in Hong Kong. Last night, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said he was deeply concerned about the incident and promised to look into it. Both TVB and Now TV protested over the arrests. All five journalists’ associations in Hong Kong expressed deep concern. A female employee at the Urumqi media centre said the Hong Kong reporters were detained because they had entered police-restricted areas, but said they would ask the officers to refrain from using violence. “We will communicate with the armed police and ask them to be more civilised with reporters,” she said. The rough handling of Hong Kong reporters also raised questions over whether the Xinjiang authorities had changed their media policy. When ethnic riots broke out in Urumqi two months ago, overseas media were allowed to cover the incident largely without harassment. This policy won praise from around the world.
The protests over the past two days have been essentially peaceful. But social unrest of such a scale taking place less than a month before the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic is a huge worry for Beijing.
Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu arrived in Urumqi yesterday to take in charge of the situation. He called on the local authorities to restore social order as soon as possible.
Meng, who is also a state councillor, said the attacks were premeditated and a continuation of the July 5 ethnic violence that pitted the city’s Han Chinese against Muslim Uygurs. He said the purpose of these attacks was to undermine ethnic unity.
He vowed to hunt down those responsible for the attacks and restore order. But on the streets, few seemed to be impressed by the authorities’ show of force.
Xinhua last night said the syringe attacks had continued despite a dozen people being arrested. So far, 513 people have been stabbed. Most of the victims are Han but some are Uygurs and from other ethnic minorities.
The authorities tried to play down the attacks and said no one had been poisoned or infected with disease.
Thousands continued to gather in downtown Urumqi yesterday, shouting slogans demanding severe punishment for the syringe attackers and the restoration of law and order.
“People are afraid to go to work and children dare not to go to school. We’ve heard that some of the syringes are filled with sulphuric acid. What if we were stabbed in the eyes and go blind? Who will be responsible for that,” one protester asked.
The crowds also demanded the resignation of Wang, party chief of the Xinjiang autonomous region since 1994. They said he had failed in his job and could not provide protection to the city’s people.
The authorities have arrested 21 suspects, but many victims, including Han and Uygur, said those who had attacked them were mostly young Uygurs.
Witnesses said two Uygurs were caught stabbing innocent passersby with needles. The angry crowd turned on them for revenge. The two were saved after police intervened and separated them from the crowd.
In the afternoon, more than 1,000 Han protesters tried to break into Nanhu Square - a Uygur-populated area - apparently seeking revenge. They were blocked by armed police, and the two sides scuffled briefly. Some Han protesters were taken away by police.
The government did not disclose the number of casualties, although the clashes appeared to be mild. But footage from China Central Television’s evening news showed that some police officers had been injured. Hong Kong television footage also showed that some members of the public had suffered suspected rubber bullet wounds.
Downturn Urumqi was virtually under military lockdown, with helicopters hovering and armed vehicles patrolling. Most schools and offices were closed, a local resident said.
The latest unrest was triggered by reports that only a dozen suspects had been arrested despite the official tally of victims of the syringe attacks reaching 513. Of those, 106 showed obvious signs of needle attacks.
Xinhua said residents had begun stockpiling food.
Additional reporting by KC Ng, Kristine Kwok and Shi Jiangtao
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Five killed as protests continue to rock Urumqi
‘Separatists’ blamed by Beijing for syringe attacks
Mimi Lau
05 September 2009
Five people have died in the massive protests against syringe attacks in the restive Xinjiang city of Urumqi, an official said last night.
Xinhua quoted the city’s vice-mayor, Zhang Hong, as saying: “On Thursday, 14 people were injured and sent to hospital and five people were killed in the incidents, including two “innocent people”, later defined as members of the public.
He gave no further breakdown of who the dead were.
The vice-mayor was speaking after Beijing said for the first time yesterday that the syringe attacks were instigated by “ethnic separatist forces”. Thousands of Han Chinese continued to protest yesterday despite a massive police show of force.
Beijing had not previously identified those responsible for the attacks or said whether they were ethnically motivated.
The public security minister, who has arrived in Urumqi to take charge of the situation, said the attacks were premeditated, a continuation of the July 5 ethnic violence between Han Chinese and Uygurs, and aimed at undermining ethnic unity. The authorities say nearly 200 died in July.
The protesters, angered by the lack of security, after the syringe stabbings took to the streets for a second day, although in smaller numbers compared with the protest on Thursday, when tens of thousands rallied and called for the resignation of the region’s communist leader Wang Lequan . Police used tear gas and public appeals to break up the crowds as some Han tried to break into Uygur-populated districts. There was no ethnic violence, but the atmosphere was tense.
Three Hong Kong TV journalists covering the protest were detained, handcuffed and roughed up by armed police yesterday. TVB senior reporter Lam Tsz-ho, his cameraman Lau Wing-chuan and Now TV cameraman Lam Chun-wai were tied up and detained by police for hours before being released.
They all had valid credentials for reporting on the mainland. The incident was widely condemned in Hong Kong. Last night, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said he was deeply concerned about the incident and promised to look into it. Both TVB and Now TV protested over the arrests. All five journalists’ associations in Hong Kong expressed deep concern. A female employee at the Urumqi media centre said the Hong Kong reporters were detained because they had entered police-restricted areas, but said they would ask the officers to refrain from using violence. “We will communicate with the armed police and ask them to be more civilised with reporters,” she said. The rough handling of Hong Kong reporters also raised questions over whether the Xinjiang authorities had changed their media policy. When ethnic riots broke out in Urumqi two months ago, overseas media were allowed to cover the incident largely without harassment. This policy won praise from around the world.
The protests over the past two days have been essentially peaceful. But social unrest of such a scale taking place less than a month before the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic is a huge worry for Beijing.
Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu arrived in Urumqi yesterday to take in charge of the situation. He called on the local authorities to restore social order as soon as possible.
Meng, who is also a state councillor, said the attacks were premeditated and a continuation of the July 5 ethnic violence that pitted the city’s Han Chinese against Muslim Uygurs. He said the purpose of these attacks was to undermine ethnic unity.
He vowed to hunt down those responsible for the attacks and restore order. But on the streets, few seemed to be impressed by the authorities’ show of force.
Xinhua last night said the syringe attacks had continued despite a dozen people being arrested. So far, 513 people have been stabbed. Most of the victims are Han but some are Uygurs and from other ethnic minorities.
The authorities tried to play down the attacks and said no one had been poisoned or infected with disease.
Thousands continued to gather in downtown Urumqi yesterday, shouting slogans demanding severe punishment for the syringe attackers and the restoration of law and order.
“People are afraid to go to work and children dare not to go to school. We’ve heard that some of the syringes are filled with sulphuric acid. What if we were stabbed in the eyes and go blind? Who will be responsible for that,” one protester asked.
The crowds also demanded the resignation of Wang, party chief of the Xinjiang autonomous region since 1994. They said he had failed in his job and could not provide protection to the city’s people.
The authorities have arrested 21 suspects, but many victims, including Han and Uygur, said those who had attacked them were mostly young Uygurs.
Witnesses said two Uygurs were caught stabbing innocent passersby with needles. The angry crowd turned on them for revenge. The two were saved after police intervened and separated them from the crowd.
In the afternoon, more than 1,000 Han protesters tried to break into Nanhu Square - a Uygur-populated area - apparently seeking revenge. They were blocked by armed police, and the two sides scuffled briefly. Some Han protesters were taken away by police.
The government did not disclose the number of casualties, although the clashes appeared to be mild. But footage from China Central Television’s evening news showed that some police officers had been injured. Hong Kong television footage also showed that some members of the public had suffered suspected rubber bullet wounds.
Downturn Urumqi was virtually under military lockdown, with helicopters hovering and armed vehicles patrolling. Most schools and offices were closed, a local resident said.
The latest unrest was triggered by reports that only a dozen suspects had been arrested despite the official tally of victims of the syringe attacks reaching 513. Of those, 106 showed obvious signs of needle attacks.
Xinhua said residents had begun stockpiling food.
Additional reporting by KC Ng, Kristine Kwok and Shi Jiangtao
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