Tag Archives: ethnic rights

Ethnic Tensions Rise In China

China contains an extremely diverse population which has been kept quiet due to the presence of an oppressive authoritarian regime. But, underneath the false peace of life in China, there are bubbling sources of anger and frustration slowly rising among the hundreds of ethnic groups in this vast country. In the western region of Xinjiang, thousands of Muslim Uighurs took to the streets in protest against failure to respect their rights. Xinhua, the state news agency admitted that several people were killed, but did not confirm the riots stemmed from the murder of Uighur migrant workers.

Witnesses reported police were manning roadblocks and mobile phone networks were being cut off. “There were big ethnic riots-there was a lot of fighting, “said one Han resident. A Han businessmen blamed the conflict on “Uighur rioters.” There were also reports of Uighurs attacking Han residents who they believe are colonizers sent into their area by the Chinese government which wants to dilute the power of Muslims.