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July 2009 Ürümqi riots

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2009 Ürümqi riots
July 2009 Ürümqi riots is located in China
Ürümqi
Ürümqi
class=notpageimage|
Location of Ürümqi within China
LocationÜrümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,  China
Date5 July 2009
Deathsat least 156
Injured1080

The July 2009 Ürümqi riots (simplified Chinese: 乌鲁木齐七·五暴力事件; traditional Chinese: 烏魯木齊七·五暴力事件[1]) broke out on 5 July 2009, in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in northwestern China. They involved between 1,000[2][3][4] and 3,000[5] Uyghurs. The total death toll has risen to at least 156, according to Chinese government sources.[4][6][7] The Daily Telegraph reported a majority of the casualties were Han Chinese.[8] In response, hundreds of Han Chinese armed with home-made weapons clashed with both the police and the Uyghurs on 7 July.[9]

The violence was part of an ongoing ethnic conflict between Han Chinese and Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group that is predominantly Muslim and is one of the officially recognized ethnic groups in China. These specific riots were sparked by dissatisfaction with the Chinese central government's handling of the deaths of two Uyghur workers in Guangdong province.[10][2][5][11] Officials said more than 1,000[12] others had been injured and that many motor vehicles were burned.[3] Police attempted to quell the riots with tear gas, water hoses, armored vehicles, and roadblocks.[3][13][14]

Xinhua reported that police believed agitators were "trying to organise more unrest" in other cities in Xinjiang such as Aksu and the Yili Prefecture.[15] Xinhua also reported that about 200 people were "trying to gather" at the Id Kah Mosque in the centre of Kashgar, but were dispersed by police early on Monday evening. [15] As the protests spread to Kashgar,[16] they also became violent.

Causes

The riots started when a street demonstration over the killings of two Uyghurs by Han co-workers in Shaoguan, Guangdong in a group fight between Uyghur workers and Han workers on 25 June 2009 turned violent[10][11] The Guangdong killings followed a rumor, made up by a disgruntled former co-worker, that several Uyghur men had raped Han women in a Shaoguan factory.[9][10][17] 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.[14] According to exiled leaders, the death toll in the Guangdong incident was much higher than reported; although Xinhua reported that the person responsible for spreading the rumours was arrested, Uyghurs alleged the authorities also failed to protect the Uyghur workers, or to arrest any of the Han Chinese involved.[18]

Central government officials, on the other hand, have argued that 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[19] led by Uyghur dissident Rebiya Kadeer working from abroad.[19] Nur Bekri, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, said in a televised speech on the morning of 6 July that the movement came after a conflict between Uygur and Han people in a toy factory in the southern Guangdong province on 26 June was "used by some overseas opposition forces to instigate Sunday's unrest and undermine the ethnic unity and social stability in the autonomous region, with an aim to split the country";[20] the government asserts that the World Uyghur Congress "has recently been instigating an unrest via the Internet among other means, calling on the outlaws 'to be braver' and 'to do something big.'"[20] Kadeer has denied the charges.[10]

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 Uyghur factory workers in far southern China in late June, when two Uyghurs died.[10] At least 1,000 Uyghurs were involved in the rioting when it began,[2][3][4] and the number of rioters may have risen to as many as 3,000.[5]

The exiled World Uyghur Congress said the demonstration began as a peaceful assembly protesting discrimination and "demanding an explanation" for the events in Shaoguan,[11] and that the protests turned violent because of police "brutality"[21] or police opening fire "indiscriminately" into the crowd.[22] The New York Times separately reported that violence erupted when police "confronted a protest march".[10] One witness reported to the Radio Free Asia that the demonstrators were "beaten very badly" with "electroshock weapons" before the riot erupted in Uyghur areas of the city.[23] Another witness told Agence France-Presse that the confrontation between protesters and police involved about 3,000 Uyghurs—some of whom were armed with batons and knives.[22] A witness named Linuxleio told BBC News that the rioters were not only fighting the police, but also targeting anyone who is a Han Chinese.[24] Jane Macartney of The Times characterized the first day's rioting as consisting mainly of "Han stabbed by marauding gangs of U[y]ghurs."[25] About 1,000 police officers were dispatched with tasers and weapons, and they fired gunshots into the air to try to quell the unrest.[22] Up to Sunday evening, 1,434 suspects in connection with the riot were arrested.[26]

Xinhua reported that 156 people were killed (129 men and 27 women) and 1080 injured,[27] but predicted that the death toll would continue to rise.[16] The World Uyghur Congress has claimed that the death toll was much higher, at around 600.[4] Xinhua has not yet disclosed what proportion of the dead are Uyghur and what proportion are Han;[16] But according to the Times' journalist, most of the victims appear to have been Han Chinese.[28] As for the injured, among the 291 injured people received by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region People's Hospital, 233 were Han Chinese, 39 were Uygurs.[6][29] During the riot, 260 vehicles were destroyed, including 190 buses. 220 arsons occured and 2 buildings were burnt down.[30]

Chinese bloggers wrote that at least one bomb exploded during the incident. The police imposed vehicular curfew, and had reimposed order by the morning of 6 July.[21] However, the city remained tense while journalists invited into the city witnessed confrontational scenes between Chinese troops and Uyghurs demanding the release of family members they said had been arbitrarily arrested.[25]

Han Chinese response

On 7 July, there were reports of large-scale armed demonstrations[9] by ethnic Han Chinese in Ürümqi.[31] The Times reported that smaller fights were frequently breaking out between Uyghurs and Han, and that "mobs" of Han citizens had organized to take revenge on Uyghurs.[25][31] Tear gas and roadblocks has been used in an attempt to disperse the demonstration.[32] Conflicting estimates of the Han demonstrators numbers were reported by the western media, and it varied from as low as 300 people[33] to as high as 10,000 people.[31]

Curfew and communications

China's two large mobile service providers have not been uniform in their response to the riots. China Mobile suspended its service in the region "to help keep the peace and prevent the incident from spreading further," while China Unicom said there was no interruption of its service in Xinjiang.[21] Internet connections in the region had been locked down,[34][35] and many unauthorized postings on local sites and Google were claimed to have been "harmonised" by government censors; images and video footage of the demonstrations and rioting, however, were soon found posted on Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.[36] The Xinjiang Regional Government's official website, as well as that of the Ürümqi Municipal government, has been inaccessible worldwide since the beginning of the protests.[18]

Chinese television broadcast graphic footage of cars being smashed and people being beaten.[37] Xinjiang Autonomous Region Chairman Nur Bekri delivered a lengthy address on the situation, and its origins in Guangdong from several weeks earlier and claimed that the government of both Guangdong and Xinjiang had dealt with the deaths of the workers properly and with respect. Bekri, an ethnic Uyghur, reiterated the party line, and further condemned the riots as "pre-meditated and planned".[38]

Chinese government management of press

Peter Foster of the Daily Telegraph observed that "long-standing China commentators have been astonished at the speed at which Beijing has moved to seize the news agenda on this event," and attributed it to his belief that "China doesn’t have a great deal to hide".[8]

Chen Shirong, China editor on the BBC World Service, remarked at the improvement in media management by Xinhua: "To be more credible, it released video footage a few hours after the event, not two weeks."[39] Hours after troops stopped the rioting, the state invited foreign journalists on an official fact-finding trip to Ürümqi;[40] journalists were corralled into the same downtown hotel, but were allowed to visit troublespots and hospitals.[8] The New York Times said "Chinese experts clearly have studied the so-called colour revolutions — in Georgia and Ukraine, and last month’s protests in Iran — for the ways that the Internet and mobile communication devices helped protesters organize and reach the outside world, and for ways that governments sought to counter them." A University of California, Berkeley academic said that the Chinese authorities had learned from past mistakes, and were becoming more sophisticated.[40]

Chinese netizens' response

Despite many blocks and censorship, Internet watchers have monitored continued attempts by netizens to vent their anger. Many messages were ethnically charged, and posts were swiftly deleted. Common themes were calls for punishment for those responsible; voices echoing nationalist sentiment evoked the name of feared General Wang Zhen.[41]

International reaction

Organizations

  •  EU: The European Union expressed concern over the clashes and urged the Chinese government to show restraint in dealing with the protests.[42]
  •  UN: The United Nations human rights chief Navi Piley said she was "alarmed" over the high death toll, noting this was an "extraordinarily high number of people to be killed and injured in less than a day of rioting."[43][44] She also said China must treat detainees humanely in a way that adheres to international norms.[45] The Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged all sides to exercise restraint.[46]

Countries and territories

  •  Australia: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on hearing "disturbing reports" of violence in Xinjiang urged restraint to bring about a "peaceful settlement to this difficulty."[47]
  •  Canada: Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said, "Dialogue and goodwill are required to help resolve grievances and prevent further deterioration of the situation," on Monday. Canada has issued a travel advisory suggesting that people "travelling to the region [should] exercise 'heightened caution' and inform consular officials of their plans."[48]
  •  France: Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier expressed concern at the unfolding events, adding "there will probably be a European response."[49]
  •  Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a peaceful solution to the incident. She added she respected the "One-China policy" but added this also meant respect for the rights of minorities.[47] Two molotov cocktails were thrown at the Chinese embassy in Munich by unknown persons.[32]
  •  Italy: President Giorgio Napolitano brought up human rights at a press conference with Hu Jintao. He said both sides agreed that "economic and social progress that is being achieved in China places new demands in terms of human rights."[50]
  •  Japan: Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka said in response to the events that "the Japanese government is paying close attention to it, and is also concerned."[51]
  •  Netherlands: The Chinese embassy was attacked by Uyghur activists who smashed windows with bricks.[32] The Chinese flag was also burnt[52] and 39 people remained detained out of 142 arrested.[53] China later closed the embassy for the day.[54]
  •  Republic of China (Taiwan): The government offered no official response but said it hopes the situation would resolve itself in a "satisfactory manner".[55]
  •  Turkey: Nationalist politicians urged the government to pressure the Chinese government to stop the crackdown, "The Turkish government must take firm action immediately to stop the attacks on our Uighur brothers and talk to the Chinese government in this regard" as it has "deeply upset the Turkish nation". The Foreign Ministry later released a statement expressing "deep sadness" at the recent events, and urged the Chinese authorities to find the perpatrators and bring them to justice.[56]
  •  United Kingdom: Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged restraint on both sides.[50]
  •  United States: White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the United States regrets the loss of life in Xinjiang,[42] was deeply concerned and called on all sides to exercise restraint.[46]

Non-governmental organizations

  • World Uyghur Congress: Leader Rebiya Kadeer likened her situation to that of the Dalai Lama. She condemned the violence of rioters in the city, saying that the organization "condemns violence in any form" and called for an international probe into the unrest. She also criticised the "violent suppression" of the demonstrators by Chinese authorities.[57] She urged Chinese authorities to recognise that the protests "were sparked by the unlawful mob beating and killing of Uighur workers at a Guangdong toy factory". Kadeer also criticised the silence of Muslim nations in response to the incident, saying they had been silent because of a "very effective propaganda campaign" by the Chinese in portraying the Uyghurs as pro-Western and not genuine.[58][59]
  • Amnesty International: The organization called for an "impartial and independent" inquiry into the incident, adding that those detained for "peacefully expressing their views and exercising their freedom of expression, association and assembly" must be released and ensure others receive a fair trial.[60]
  • Human Rights Watch: HRW urged China to exercise restraint and to allow an independent inquiry into the events, which include addressing Uyghur concerns about policies in the region. It also added that China should respect international norms when responding to the protests and only use force proportionately.[61]

See also

References

  1. ^ Note: The Traditional Chinese name is generally used by independent Chinese media such as Duowei while the name written in Simplified Chinese is used by Chinese authorities and Chinese state media outlets like Xinhua
  2. ^ a b c Epstein, Gady (5 July 2009). "Uighur Unrest". Forbes. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d Agencies (5 July 2009). "Civilians die in China riots". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d "China's Xinjiang hit by violence". BBC News. 6 July 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  5. ^ a b c Macartney, Jane (5 July 2009). "China in deadly crackdown after Uighurs go on rampage". The Times. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  6. ^ a b "Death toll in Xinjiang riot rises to 140, still climbing". Xinhua. 6 July 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  7. ^ "China says 140 dead in Xinjiang unrest". Reuters. 6 June 2009.
  8. ^ a b c Foster, Peter (7 July 2009). "Uighur unrest: not another Tiananmen". The Daily Telegraph.
  9. ^ a b c Riots engulf Chinese Uighur city. BBC News Online. 7 July 2009
  10. ^ a b c d e f Wong, Edward (5 July 2009). "Riots in Western China Amid Ethnic Tension". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  11. ^ a b c Reuters (5 July 2009). "China calls Xinjiang riot a plot against its rule". {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ Angry Uighurs defy Chinese police, BBC News, 7 July 09
  13. ^ Macartney, Jane (5 July 2009). "Uighur unrest threatens Beijing rulers' biggest party for a decade".
  14. ^ a b Branigan, Tania; Watts, Jonathan (5 July 2009). "Uighur Muslims riot as ethnic tensions rise in China". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  15. ^ a b "Mass arrests over China violence". BBC News. 7 July 2009.
  16. ^ a b c Kuhn, Anthony; Block, Melissa (6 July 2009). "China Ethnic Unrest kills 156". All Things Considered. National Public Radio. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  17. ^ "'No Rapes' in Riot Town". Radio Free Asia. 29 June 2009.
  18. ^ a b "China Says 140 Die in Riot, Uighur Separatists Blamed (Update2)". Bloomberg News. 5 July 2009.
  19. ^ a b "Civilians and armed police officer killed in NW China violence". Xinhua News. 5 July 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  20. ^ a b Xinhua (6 July 2009). "Civilians, officer killed in Urumqi unrest". China Daily.
  21. ^ a b c Demick, Barbara (6 July 2009). "140 slain as Chinese riot police, Muslims clash in northwestern city".
  22. ^ a b c Barriaux, Marianne (6 July 2009). "Three die during riots in China's Xinjiang region: state media". AFP.
  23. ^ "Urumqi Tense, Quiet after Violence". Radio Free Asia. 7 July 2009.
  24. ^ "Accounts of Xinjiang violence". BBC News. 6 July 2009.
  25. ^ a b c Macartney, Jane (7 July 2009). "Riot police battle protesters as China's Uighur crisis escalates".
  26. ^ "Police arrests 1,434 suspects in connection with Xinjiang riot". Xinhua. 7 July 2009.
  27. ^ "Death toll in Xinjiang riot rises to 156". Xinhua. 7 July 2009.
  28. ^ Macartney, Jane (7 July 2009). "Chinese Han mob marches for revenge against Uighurs after rampage". Times Online. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
  29. ^ "Recalling the nightmare: witnesses' account of Xinjiang riot". Xinhua. 6 July 2009.
  30. ^ "乌鲁木齐暴力事件已致140人死亡 数百疑犯被抓". Sina.com (in Chinese). 6 July 2009.
  31. ^ a b c "Han Chinese mob takes to the streets in Urumqi in hunt for Uighur Muslims". The Telegraph. 7 July 2009.
  32. ^ a b c China: Tear gas used on Han protestors. RTÉ. 7 July 2009
  33. ^ China's Xinjiang province put under curfew. CBC. 7 July 2009
  34. ^ Graham-Harrison and Yu Le, Emma (6 July 2009). "Residents say Internet down in Xinjiang riot city". {{cite news}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  35. ^ "Internet cut in Urumqi to contain violence: media". AFP. 7 July 2009.
  36. ^ Doran, D'Arcy (5 July 2009). "Savvy Internet users defy China's censors on riot". AFP.
  37. ^ Martin, Dan (7 July 2009). "156 killed, new protest put down - China". Adelaide Now. {{cite news}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  38. ^ Xinjiang chairman delivers message to citizens
  39. ^ Ward, Mark (6 July 2009). "China clampdown on tech in Urumqi". BBC News.
  40. ^ a b Wines, Michael (7 July 2009). "In Latest Upheaval, China Applies New Strategies to Control Flow of Information". The New York Times.
  41. ^ "Chinese go online to vent ire at Xinjiang unrest". Reuters. 7 July 2009.
  42. ^ a b International reaction to Uighur protest violence. Radio Australia. 7 July 2009
  43. ^ UN rights chief alarmed by death toll in China. Jakarta Post. 7 July 2009
  44. ^ UN human rights chief alarmed by ‘major tragedy’ in western China. UN News Centre. 7 July 2009
  45. ^ UN urges China, ethnic groups to halt violence. Khaleej Times. 7 July 2009
  46. ^ a b Martin, Dan. China says over 1,400 arrested for Xinjiang riots. Jakarta Globe. 6 July 2009
  47. ^ a b Germany, Australia urge restraint in China unrest. Earthtimes. 7 July 2009
  48. ^ Chinese protests spread as deaths mount. CBC. 7 July 2009
  49. ^ France concerned over Xinjiang riots. The International News. 7 July 2009
  50. ^ a b Uyghurs Abroad Blame China Policies For Unrest. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 7 July 2009
  51. ^ Riots in China: 1400 people detained. New Delhi Television. 7 July 2009
  52. ^ FM: China strongly condemns attacks on its foreign missions. China Daily. 7 July 2009
  53. ^ Dutch Police Hold 39 Detained After Protests at China Embassy. Bloomberg. 7 July 2009
  54. ^ China shuts Hague embassy. The Straits Times. 7 July 2009
  55. ^ China Tiananmen leader and Taiwan DPP want action on Xinjiang. Taiwan News. 7 July 2009
  56. ^ Tension runs high as China cracks down on Uighur riot. Today's Zaman. 7 July 2009
  57. ^ East Turkestan: Kadeer Speaks Out. Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization. 7 July 2009
  58. ^ Uighur leader wants probe into Xinjiang unrest. AFP. 7 July 2009
  59. ^ Muslim states 'silent' on Uighurs. Al Jazeera. 7 July 2009
  60. ^ China must investigate 156 deaths during protests in Urumqi. Amnesty International. 7 July 2009
  61. ^ China: Exercise Restraint in Xinjiang - Government Should Allow Independent United Nations Probe. Human Rights Watch. 6 July 2009

External links

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