A quick roundup of news links related to the ongoing violent clashes in China’s Xinjiang region between Han Chinese and ethnic Uighurs (who consider the region a sovereign nation – in many respects, the conflict is similar to that of Tibet.)
♦ Image above, from an extensive Boston Globe photo-essay which contains some graphic content: “An ethnic Uighur woman looks out the window of an apartment one day after Han Chinese mobs attacked the compound in Urumqi, China on Wednesday, July 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)”
♦ From China’s state mouthpiece, People’s Daily, calls to “punish Facebook” (I’m visualizing stern, uniformed Communist party officials publicly spanking Zuckerberg). Snip: “Over 90 percent of (…) netizens said that ‘Xinjiang independence’ activists, carrying out this type of ‘online activity’ severely violates China’s national interests and agreed that Facebook should immediately shut down the ‘Xinjiang independence” online group.”
♦ Xinhua would like you to know that everything is “normal again” in the capital city of Urumqi, and that people are happily wandering the streets in search of watermelon, kebabs, and eggplant.
♦ Reuters: “Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Friday genocide was being committed in China’s northwest province of Xinjiang and called on Chinese authorities to intervene to prevent more deaths.”
♦ CSM on China’s savvier media strategy: “Taking a cue from Western PR tactics, Beijing moved away from trying to block coverage altogether – and was benefited by doing so.”
♦ A report filed nearly 10 years ago by Rebecca MacKinnon, then CNN’s Beijing bureau chief: “Rumblings of discontent among ethnic Muslims on China’s Asian frontier”
♦ NYT reports the crackdown now extends to mosques: “Chinese authorities banned prayer gatherings at mosques here on Friday, the principal day of prayer for Muslims, as security officials tried to prevent further ethnic violence in the Xinjiang region.”
(most links in this post via Rebecca MacKinnon)