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On July 5th, highly violent crimes involving beating, smashing, looting and arson took place in Urumqi, capital city of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, which so far caused 156 people dead and more than 1000 others injured.
The crimes were so horrible that I did not really like to look back, but after reading the editorial by PW in the newspaper Politiken dated on July 8, I can not sit quite any longer letting the basic facts shadowed by false descriptions and imaginations. One thing is for sure: under no circumstances should slaughters be brooked, violence allowed or national security challenged. The truth and facts I know is as follows:
On June 26th, a brawl broke out between workers from Xinjiang and local workers in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province in the South China. However, such an ordinary case of public order, which the authority handled properly in accordance with law, was used and played up by an overseas East Turkestan organization, The World Uyghur Congress.
On 4 July, text messages appeared and were sent in large numbers on the internet calling for protest and gathering in Urumqi. The World Uyghur Congress led by Rebiya Kadeer incited supporters through the internet and other channels "to be braver" and "to do something big." Rebiya Kadeer clamored for "a big event in Urumqi on 5 July" and urged people to "follow closely the developments and collect relevant information".
Sunday on July 5th, since around 6:20pm., a growing number of people came to the People's Square in Urumqi. At about 8:18 pm, some people started violent acts of smashing, looting, chasing and beating passers-by, and setting fire to vehicles and buildings. These rioters divided themselves into different groups and took different routes, doing killings and sabotage activities along the way. The police was speedily deployed to those places where the situation was grave, and they were sent in small teams to rescue people and search for criminals.
Afterwards as long as the security could be guaranteed, about 60 foreign journalists were in Xinjiang on a reporting trip arranged by the Information Office of the State Council, the Chinese Cabinet. Meanwhile, a press center had been established in Urumqi, with services offered by officials there. Until July 8, there are over 100 foreign media are making reports in Xinjiang. The Chinese government takes an open and transparent principle on the news report, hoping the foreign media make a fair and objective report in stead of looking things with tinted glasses.
However, violence is still carried on outside China, as the Chinese foreign missions in Netherlands and Germany were attacked and partly damaged on Monday July 6 by "Eastern Turkestan" separatists and supporters.
In short, what happened on July 5th in Urumqi were horrible crimes against innocent people whose basic human rights were brutally stepped by small group separatists. If Mr. or Ms PW calls such crime "demonstration", then the only way to justify him/her is to re-define the word "demonstration".
※ This article has been published in Danish Newspaper "Politiken" on July 11th, 2009
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