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| China Orders Security Crackdown After Riots in Restive Region | China Orders Security Crackdown After Riots in Restive Region |
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| HONG KONG — China’s President Xi Jinping and other senior officials have ordered a security crackdown in the far western region, Xinjiang, after two outbursts of violence there pitted members of the Uighur ethnic minority against police forces, official media reported on Saturday. | HONG KONG — China’s President Xi Jinping and other senior officials have ordered a security crackdown in the far western region, Xinjiang, after two outbursts of violence there pitted members of the Uighur ethnic minority against police forces, official media reported on Saturday. |
| The orders from Mr. Xi and other Communist Party leaders underscored their jitters about control in Xinjiang, where many members of the Uighur minority complain that their Muslim beliefs, Turkic cultural heritage and economic prospects are threatened by heavy-handed Chinese rule and an inflow of Han Chinese workers. | The orders from Mr. Xi and other Communist Party leaders underscored their jitters about control in Xinjiang, where many members of the Uighur minority complain that their Muslim beliefs, Turkic cultural heritage and economic prospects are threatened by heavy-handed Chinese rule and an inflow of Han Chinese workers. |
| Those worries deepened after a riot by Uighurs on Wednesday in Turpan Prefecture, Xinjiang, left 35 people dead, according to state media reports. Rioters killed 24 people, and police officers fatally shot 11 rioters, said the reports. | Those worries deepened after a riot by Uighurs on Wednesday in Turpan Prefecture, Xinjiang, left 35 people dead, according to state media reports. Rioters killed 24 people, and police officers fatally shot 11 rioters, said the reports. |
| On Friday another violent confrontation broke out in Hotan Prefecture, in southern Xinjiang. Reports about that clash were sparse; a bulletin from the region’s news service said no members of the public were killed or injured. The English-language edition of the Global Times, a Chinese newspaper, said more than 100 people wielding knives attacked a police station. The reports could not be verified: calls to local government offices went unanswered. | On Friday another violent confrontation broke out in Hotan Prefecture, in southern Xinjiang. Reports about that clash were sparse; a bulletin from the region’s news service said no members of the public were killed or injured. The English-language edition of the Global Times, a Chinese newspaper, said more than 100 people wielding knives attacked a police station. The reports could not be verified: calls to local government offices went unanswered. |
| The Communist Party leadership of Xinjiang responded by convening a meeting of officials on Friday that passed on orders from Mr. Xi and other national leaders, Tianshan Net, the region’s official news Web site, reported. | The Communist Party leadership of Xinjiang responded by convening a meeting of officials on Friday that passed on orders from Mr. Xi and other national leaders, Tianshan Net, the region’s official news Web site, reported. |
| “Deal with this resolutely and decisively, and follow the law in striking hard any violent terrorist crimes,” the party secretary of Xinjiang, Zhang Chunxian, told officials, citing orders from Mr. Xi and other top leaders, according to the report. “Resolutely wipe out the arrogance of these foe, and protect the stability of broader Xinjiang society.” | |
| The Chinese government often says violence in Xinjiang is the work of Uighur militants and terrorists seeking independence, and officials and state media have described the two latest incidents as “terror crimes.” But advocates of Uighur self-determination and human rights advocates say that China’s allegations of orchestrated terror are greatly exaggerated and ignore the local roots of Uighur discontent, especially poor job prospects and harsh policing. | The Chinese government often says violence in Xinjiang is the work of Uighur militants and terrorists seeking independence, and officials and state media have described the two latest incidents as “terror crimes.” But advocates of Uighur self-determination and human rights advocates say that China’s allegations of orchestrated terror are greatly exaggerated and ignore the local roots of Uighur discontent, especially poor job prospects and harsh policing. |
| Most Uighurs adhere to relatively moderate forms of Sunni Islam, although some have embraced stricter forms. They account for a little under half of Xinjiang’s 22 million civilian residents, and Han Chinese for 40 percent, according to government data. | Most Uighurs adhere to relatively moderate forms of Sunni Islam, although some have embraced stricter forms. They account for a little under half of Xinjiang’s 22 million civilian residents, and Han Chinese for 40 percent, according to government data. |
| The ripples of unrest in Xinjiang have come days before the fourth anniversary of widespread bloodshed in Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang, on July 5, 2009. In that case, the police broke up a protest by Uighurs, and then Uighur rioters attacked Han Chinese residents on streets and buses. At least 197 people were killed. Han Chinese protesters later used cleavers and rocks to attack Uighur neighborhoods. | The ripples of unrest in Xinjiang have come days before the fourth anniversary of widespread bloodshed in Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang, on July 5, 2009. In that case, the police broke up a protest by Uighurs, and then Uighur rioters attacked Han Chinese residents on streets and buses. At least 197 people were killed. Han Chinese protesters later used cleavers and rocks to attack Uighur neighborhoods. |