ENTERING RAMADAN, XINJIANG UNDER STRICT SECURITY MEASURES

Beijing, 29 Sha’ban 1434/8 July 2013 (MINA) – Following last week’s incidents THAT killed 35 in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Muslims enter the holy month of Ramadan under strict security measures.

With the increased security measures throughout the region, the central grand bazaar of the capital Urumchi isn’t that much lively. Several Muslims in the capital are busy with Ramadan preparations, , the Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Monday (8/7).

Officials said that the security measures were increased more and more every year at the anniversary of the bloody incidents of July 2009 in Urumchi, leaving 197 dead and many more wounded. Before Ramadan, the current security levels have been risen.

On June 26th, 35 people were killed in Shanshan in the bloodiest outbreak of ethnic violence in Xinjiang for four years. The government, as usual, has blamed “Islamic terrorists”.

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The unrest, in Lukqun township, near the oasis city of Turpan, was followed two days later by another violent incident 1,000km (600 miles) to the south, near the city of Khotan.

Officials say that in Lukqun 15 knife-wielding members of a “violent terrorist gang” rampaged through the town after one of their associates was arrested. They are said to have killed 24 people before police shot dead 11 of them.

In Moyu county, in Khotan prefecture, about 100 people riding motorcycles and armed with knives attacked a police station, according to an official newspaper.

Coming just days before the fourth anniversary on July 5th of ethnic unrest in Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi, that left nearly 200 people dead. Armed security forces are announced to patrol 24 hours throughout the region in Ramadan.

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Ethnic clashes in Urumqi

On Sunday, July 5th in Urumqi, the capital of China’s western Xinjiang region, thousands of minority ethnic Uighur residents marched, demanding a government investigation into an earlier incident – a brawl between Han Chinese and Uighurs in a toy factory in Shaoguan that ended with at least two Uighur deaths.

Sometime during the July 5th protest the situation became very violent, Uighurs clashing with police and attacking local Han Chinese. Urumqi citizent woke up the next morning and find out that more than 1,000 people injured and 156 killed in their city.

Government forces worked to quell the violence and to separate the newly-formed Han vigilante groups and the Uighurs still in the streets.

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Communications were shut off, streets closed, curfews imposed, hundreds arrested, and thousands of troops poured into Urumqi.

On July 7th, Chinese officials released the ethnic breakdown of those killed in the riots for the first time – 137 of victims were ethnic Han, 46 were Uighurs and one was Hui.

Geographically at the heart of Asia, Xinjiang region enholds several ethnic elements, with Uyghurs comprising the 46.4 pct and Khan nationals 39.3 pct of the region’s population. The rest of the population consists of Muslim minorities such as Huis (Chinese Muslims), Kyrgyzs, Kazakhs, Tajiks and Tatars. (T/P09/P04).

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)