|
CHINA> Regional
![]() |
|
Commentary: Riot a catastrophe for Xinjiang
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-06 21:35 BEIJING: Sunday's deadly riot in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region bruised the beautiful city of Urumqi and shocked the world, barely 16 months after the nightmarish Lhasa violence that still clings to many Chinese minds. "Oops! Not again!" was almost the universal response when news of the unrest came Sunday night, when blood tainted Urumqi, with at least 140 lives lost and more than 800 others injured.
When rioters assaulted innocent people with knives, wooden batons, bricks and stones, smashed vehicles and set fire to buildings and public facilities, we also saw many people of ethnic minority groups extending a helping hand to the victims.
By their heroic deeds, we hope, these people helped remind the rioters and whoever was behind the violence, that riots would only harm the majority of the people. History has proven, time and again, that social stability is a blessing and riot a catastrophe. Innocent citizens always suffer the most when stability is shaken, which often leads to social unrest and stagnated economic growth. National unity and social stability are in line with the fundamental interests of all Chinese people, including the 21 million-plus people from all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. Given its unique location and demography, the northwestern Chinese region has been a target of separatist and terrorist actions, particularly in the past two years. On August 4, 2008, just days before the Beijing Olympic Games opened, 17 people were killed and 15 injured in an attack on police by terrorists in Kashgar, Xinjiang. The attack was aimed to sabotage the Beijing Games. Six days later, a string of explosions in supermarkets, hotels and government buildings rocked the region's Kuqa county, killing a security guard and a civilian and injuring two police officers. On March 7, 2008, a number of terrorists planned to attack a passenger plane with explosives but were thwarted by police. The attempt was found to be masterminded by Eastern Turkestan separatists from abroad. Police said that in the first half of 2008, five terrorist rings were busted in Xinjiang and 82 suspected terrorists detained. |
伊春市| 股票| 勐海县| 邛崃市| 庆安县| 明星| 山东省| 信阳市| 宣武区| 锡林浩特市| 宣城市| 方正县| 简阳市| 永年县| 綦江县| 徐水县| 南阳市| 大冶市| 天峨县| 西宁市| 潮州市| 桂林市| 莆田市| 冕宁县| 唐海县| 邹城市| 隆尧县| 淮阳县| 黄大仙区| 肥城市| 乐山市| 濮阳县| 平昌县| 灵武市| 哈密市| 灯塔市| 连平县| 平乐县| 元江| 诸暨市| 清涧县|