Chinese police fan out to halt Xinjiang unrest

Banks of paramilitary police fanned out in the far-flung Chinese city of Urumqi on Wednesday to try to stifle unrest days after 156 people were killed in the regions worst ethnic violence in decades.

Urumqi, capital of the northwestern region of Xinjiang, imposed an overnight curfew on Tuesday after thousands of Han Chinese, armed with sticks, knives and metal bars, stormed through its streets demanding redress and sometimes extracting bloody vengeance on Muslim Uighurs for Sundays violence. However, the curfew was lifted on Wednesday.

Many took to the streets again on Wednesday and even with helicopters hovering overhead there were scuffles in a volatile crowd of around 1,000 as police seized apparent ringleaders, prompting cries of “release them, release them.” Meanwhile, a Communist Party leader from the region pledged to seek the death penalty for anyone behind the strife. Li Zhi, the party boss in Urumqi, said that many suspected instigators of the riots had been arrested and that most were students.

In Xinjiang, 1,080 people have already been wounded in rioting and 1,434 have been arrested since Sunday. Residents said night-time arrests were continuing and they were quietly preparing to defend against further Han attacks.

Volatile and swelling Han crowds protested against security forces seizing young Han men. “Why are you catching Han Chinese? They are only trying to protect us,” said one woman.     But the heavy security presence brought peace to central parts of the city. A group of Uighur men said they were convinced two locals died in Tuesdays confrontations and that there were many more deaths across the city.     

Urumqi airport was crowded with people anxious to leave, the official Xinhua news agency said. “We fear Xinjiang is not a safe place any more,” said one passenger.