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Saturday, 12 September 2009
Real and imagined attacks fan the flames of needle hysteria
Mysterious needle attacks have spread to new cities in Xinjiang, officials in the restive, far-western region confirmed yesterday, although once again the assaults appear to be a mix of the real and the imaginary.
Real and imagined attacks fan the flames of needle hysteria
Reuters 12 September 2009
Mysterious needle attacks have spread to new cities in Xinjiang, officials in the restive, far-western region confirmed yesterday, although once again the assaults appear to be a mix of the real and the imaginary.
Nearly 600 people in Urumqi, the capital of the region - where Muslim Uygurs make up a large minority of the population - have said they were stabbed with needles over the past two weeks, leading to mass demonstrations by Han Chinese against a government they said was failing to guarantee their safety.
Nine suspects were detained in the cities of Hotan, Altay and Kashgar, the China Daily reported. The report was confirmed by an official from Xinjiang’s propaganda department yesterday.
The pattern of real and imagined attacks appears to be continuing. Of nine reported attacks in Hotan, only three people were actually pricked, while in Altay, four of five reported attacks were false alarms. In Kashgar, three of five were false alarms, the paper said, citing local officials.
A propaganda official in Kashgar yesterday confirmed that people had reported cases, but said none showed any evidence of a syringe attack.
“We haven’t confirmed any syringe attacks yet. Most of them only felt some sudden pain when they were walking in the crowd, and some of them felt they’d been tapped on the body. But the doctors and medical examiners did not find any signs of a hypodermic attack,” he said.
Officials and state media blamed the attacks in Urumqi on separatists bent on destroying ethnic unity.
On July 5, a demonstration by Uygurs turned into a riot. Han launched revenge attacks two days later. The violence left 197 people, mostly Han Chinese, dead.
Since then, Urumqi has been cut off from internet access, international phone calls and most text messaging to avoid a repeat of the violence. The result is that rumours reign supreme.
A police text message warning against syringe attacks was the spark that ignited the rash of reports. By September 4, 513 people had turned up at police stations to report they had been jabbed, stabbed or pricked. They were tested for HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases, adding to fears that the attacks would spread the Aids virus. At least another 77 attacks have since been reported.
On September 3, Han people crowded into People’s Square, demanding the resignation of regional party secretary Wang Lequan for not ensuring their safety during the July riots or against the mystery stabbers. Five people died when crowds beat up a Uygur man accused of jabbing a woman and then attacked the ambulance ferrying him to hospital.
The head of the Urumqi branch of the Communist Party and Xinjiang’s top police official were both sacked in the wake of the needle attacks and subsequent protests.
Most of the alleged stabbings appear to be simple hysteria. Only 106 victims had shown signs of jabs, bumps or rashes as of September 4. Some were pricked by sewing needles or pins, not syringes, doctors said. Other marks might be insect bites.
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Real and imagined attacks fan the flames of needle hysteria
Reuters
12 September 2009
Mysterious needle attacks have spread to new cities in Xinjiang, officials in the restive, far-western region confirmed yesterday, although once again the assaults appear to be a mix of the real and the imaginary.
Nearly 600 people in Urumqi, the capital of the region - where Muslim Uygurs make up a large minority of the population - have said they were stabbed with needles over the past two weeks, leading to mass demonstrations by Han Chinese against a government they said was failing to guarantee their safety.
Nine suspects were detained in the cities of Hotan, Altay and Kashgar, the China Daily reported. The report was confirmed by an official from Xinjiang’s propaganda department yesterday.
The pattern of real and imagined attacks appears to be continuing. Of nine reported attacks in Hotan, only three people were actually pricked, while in Altay, four of five reported attacks were false alarms. In Kashgar, three of five were false alarms, the paper said, citing local officials.
A propaganda official in Kashgar yesterday confirmed that people had reported cases, but said none showed any evidence of a syringe attack.
“We haven’t confirmed any syringe attacks yet. Most of them only felt some sudden pain when they were walking in the crowd, and some of them felt they’d been tapped on the body. But the doctors and medical examiners did not find any signs of a hypodermic attack,” he said.
Officials and state media blamed the attacks in Urumqi on separatists bent on destroying ethnic unity.
On July 5, a demonstration by Uygurs turned into a riot. Han launched revenge attacks two days later. The violence left 197 people, mostly Han Chinese, dead.
Since then, Urumqi has been cut off from internet access, international phone calls and most text messaging to avoid a repeat of the violence. The result is that rumours reign supreme.
A police text message warning against syringe attacks was the spark that ignited the rash of reports. By September 4, 513 people had turned up at police stations to report they had been jabbed, stabbed or pricked. They were tested for HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases, adding to fears that the attacks would spread the Aids virus. At least another 77 attacks have since been reported.
On September 3, Han people crowded into People’s Square, demanding the resignation of regional party secretary Wang Lequan for not ensuring their safety during the July riots or against the mystery stabbers. Five people died when crowds beat up a Uygur man accused of jabbing a woman and then attacked the ambulance ferrying him to hospital.
The head of the Urumqi branch of the Communist Party and Xinjiang’s top police official were both sacked in the wake of the needle attacks and subsequent protests.
Most of the alleged stabbings appear to be simple hysteria. Only 106 victims had shown signs of jabs, bumps or rashes as of September 4. Some were pricked by sewing needles or pins, not syringes, doctors said. Other marks might be insect bites.
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