Security forces in far-west China's strife-hit city of Urumqi used tear gas to break up fresh protests on Friday, as thousands of Han Chinese demanded better security after a reported spate of attacks with syringes.
-- Police use tear gas to break up protests
-- China's public security minister arrives to take charge
-- Government bans "unlicensed" demonstrations
The protesters massed in the streets in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang region, for a second day to protest that authorities were too slow to punish Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim people native to the energy-rich region, for deadly riots on July 5. Han Chinese residents also said they were the targets of mysterious attacks with syringes.
Police vans patrolled streets with loudspeakers, telling people to go home, and used tear gas to disperse some of the angry gatherings. But with schools closed and bus routes through the city interrupted by road blocks, many in the crowds had little to do but mill about and break off into brief protests.
"The main thing is, nobody here feels secure any more," said Zhen Guibin, a Han Chinese. The government has banned "unlicensed marches, demonstrations and mass protests" and will disperse or detain those who disobey, the official Xinhua news agency said. Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu arrived in Urumqi and urged officials to "restore social order as soon as possible." He repeated government accusations that separatists were trying to stir up instability by planning the syringe attacks.
"Maintaining stability is the central task of overriding importance in Xinjiang at the present time," Xinhua quoted him as saying, vowing punishment for those involved in violence or "undermining ethnic unity".
During Thursday's protests, crowds called for regional Communist Party boss Wang Lequan to resign. The main evening television news showed Wang, who has held the region's most powerful position for 14 years, grimly taking notes during a meeting held by Meng. Alarm spread in the city after government text messages a week ago warned of attacks with syringes. Some parents were afraid to send their children alone to classes when schools were open earlier in the week. "These Uighurs have been stabbing us with needles," said a man trying to push through barriers sealing off a Uighur neighbourhood. "We need to take care of the problem."
Angry crowds confronted paramilitary troops and police at intersections, demanding "more rights for Han people". A group of young Han Chinese men unfurled a Chinese flag and tried to lead a march to People's Square shouting "safety". Police snatched away the flag, but the crowd continued shouting.
The July 5 protest by Uighurs gave way to a spree of violence across the city in which 197 people were killed, most of them Han Chinese. Two days later, Han Chinese attacked Uighur neighbourhoods, demanding revenge. Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the exiled World Uyghur Congress, said pressure should be put on Beijing to open talks with Rebiya Kadeer, a Uighur leader who lives in the United States and who China accused of masterminding the July unrest.
China says Uighurs campaigning for independence are allied with Islamist militants in the region. Deadly bomb attacks have occasionally hit government targets in Xinjiang. Xinjiang's population is divided mainly between Uighurs, long the region's majority group, and Han Chinese, many of whom moved there in recent decades. Most Urumqi residents are Han. The Xinjiang government, apparently trying to calm tempers, announced on Thursday that 196 suspects have been charged over the July riot. Fifty-one were indicted and will face prosecution.
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