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| Police and ‘Rioters’ Clash in Western China | Police and ‘Rioters’ Clash in Western China |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| HONG KONG — At least 16 people were killed late Sunday in Xinjiang, the ethnically tense region of far western China, when the police clashed with attackers who used explosives and knives, according to the region’s news service. | |
| The brief report from the Tianshan news service on Monday did not give details of the attack, but it appeared likely to be the latest spasm of ethnic violence in the region. The bloodshed occurred late at night in Shufu County near Kashgar, a part of Xinjiang plagued by tensions between Muslim Uighurs and the government authorities. | |
| The police in Shufu County were trying to catch a criminal suspect when they were attacked by a group of “rioters” with explosives and knives, the report said. Two police officers died, while the police fatally shot 14 attackers and captured two others, according to the report. Investigations into the events were underway, it said. | |
| Uighurs are a Turkic-speaking people who form a minority in Xinjiang as a whole. But around Kashgar, in the southwest corner of the region, they make up an overwhelming majority, and the area has experienced outbursts of violence aimed at police stations and other manifestations of Chinese authority. | Uighurs are a Turkic-speaking people who form a minority in Xinjiang as a whole. But around Kashgar, in the southwest corner of the region, they make up an overwhelming majority, and the area has experienced outbursts of violence aimed at police stations and other manifestations of Chinese authority. |
| Tensions in Xinjiang have deepened in recent years, especially after July 2009, when at least 200 people died in Urumqi, the regional capital, when Uighur men attacked Han Chinese people. Han Chinese crowds then retaliated by rioting in Uighur neighborhoods. | Tensions in Xinjiang have deepened in recent years, especially after July 2009, when at least 200 people died in Urumqi, the regional capital, when Uighur men attacked Han Chinese people. Han Chinese crowds then retaliated by rioting in Uighur neighborhoods. |
| Xinjiang shares borders with Central Asian countries and Pakistan, and the Chinese government has often blamed militant separatist groups supported from abroad for the unrest in Xinjiang. But many international human rights groups and supporters of Uighur self-determination say the violence is often a homegrown expression of discontent. | Xinjiang shares borders with Central Asian countries and Pakistan, and the Chinese government has often blamed militant separatist groups supported from abroad for the unrest in Xinjiang. But many international human rights groups and supporters of Uighur self-determination say the violence is often a homegrown expression of discontent. |
| In June, 35 people, including 11 rioters, died when Chinese security forces opened fire on a crowd of Uighurs who had attacked police and government buildings in Turpan in central Xinjiang, according to the main Chinese state-run news agency, Xinhua. | In June, 35 people, including 11 rioters, died when Chinese security forces opened fire on a crowd of Uighurs who had attacked police and government buildings in Turpan in central Xinjiang, according to the main Chinese state-run news agency, Xinhua. |
| In October, five people were killed in central Beijing when a vehicle veered onto a crowded sidewalk and burst into flames at the main entrance to the Forbidden City. The Chinese government blamed Uighur separatists for the attack. | In October, five people were killed in central Beijing when a vehicle veered onto a crowded sidewalk and burst into flames at the main entrance to the Forbidden City. The Chinese government blamed Uighur separatists for the attack. |