Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Urumqi attack kills 31 in China's Xinjiang region


When the Americans provided new life to the Muslims in Libyans, and other Muslim countries , they have ignored the doctrine of hell or deny it outright, Chines should've recognized the danger the day they built a Railroad in Saudi  Arabia for al-qadae pilgrimages after Germany turned downed the Saudi (al-qadae deal)  



Urumqi attack kills 31 in China's Xinjiang region


Police near presumed scene of attack in Urumqi (22 May) Images posted on weibo microblogs showed flames in Urumqi

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Attackers in China's restive Xinjiang region have crashed two cars into shoppers at a market, killing 31 people, Chinese media reports say.

They also threw explosives during the attack in the regional capital Urumqi. More than 90 people were injured, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

The Ministry of Public Security called it a "violent terrorist incident".

Xinjiang, which is home to the Muslim Uighur minority, has seen a spate of attacks in the past year.

Last month a bomb attack at a station in Urumqi killed three people and injured dozens more. China blamed the attack on Uighur separatists.

Information about incidents in the region, where ethnic tensions between Uighurs and Han Chinese continue, is tightly controlled.

Police at scene of attack in Urumqi - 22 May Security is tight in Urumqi, where ethnic tensions between Uighurs and Han Chinese continue

Onlookers in Urumqi after blast in the market (22 May) Onlookers were kept at a distance as the site of the blast was cordoned off

Black smoke over Urumqi (22 May) Clouds of black smoke could be seen rising into the sky over Urumqi
'Multiple explosions'
One of the vehicles exploded in the attack, which happened on Thursday morning.

Pictures on Weibo microblogs - China's equivalent of Twitter - taken by eyewitnesses appeared to show Thursday's attack taking place at one end of a busy market street lined with vegetable stalls.

"Witnesses said two cross-country vehicles driving from north to south ploughed into people in the market at 07:50. Explosives were thrown out of the vehicles," the Xinhua report said.

One photo showed flames engulfing a junction. Others showed at least three fire engines mobilised to put out the fire.

Local media said eyewitnesses heard multiple explosions. The injured were taken to several hospitals, Xinhua said.

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Uighurs and Xinjiang
  • Uighurs are ethnically Turkic Muslims
  • They make up about 45% of the region's population; 40% are Han Chinese
  • China re-established control in 1949 after crushing short-lived state of East Turkestan
  • Since then, there has been large-scale immigration of Han Chinese
  • Uighurs fear erosion of their traditional culture

Why is there tension between China and the Uighurs?

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Xinjiang lies in China's far west, bordering Central Asia.

China says it is pouring money into the region to improve livelihoods, but some Uighurs say their traditions - including religious freedom - are being crushed by tight Chinese control.

Tensions between the two communities erupted into violence in 2009. Riots in Urumqi left some 200 people dead.

There has also been a series of violent incidents that Beijing has blamed on Uighur separatists. They include

  • October 2013: Car ploughs into pedestrians in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, killing five - the three people in the car were Uighurs, Chinese authorities said
  • March 2014: Knife attack at Kunming station, southern China - 29 people killed in an attack blamed on Uighur extremists
  • April 2014: Bomb and knife attack at Urumqi station kills three, just after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the region

This latest incident comes days after Chinese courts jailed 39 people as part of what the authorities called an operation to curb the spread of audio and video materials inciting terrorism.

Those jailed included a 25-year old who had incited hatred in comments made in chat rooms and a father who had preached extremism to his son, the Xinjiang Supreme Court said.

Are you in the area? Have you been affected? You can share your photos and experiences with us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using 'Urumqi' in the subject heading.

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