Death Toll Unknown in Uighur Massacre

Photo taken in Xinjiang region Sunday. (The Epoch Times)

Urumqi Voice-Leaders around the world are calling for restraint as word of a possible massacre of Uighurs reaches the outside world. Residents of the Xinjiang region, home to the Uigher minority, have been shot and killed as Chinese police move into the capital, Urumqi, with tanks and riot gear.

According to Xinhua, the Chinese regime's mouthpiece, 156 have been killed in Urumqi—although no independent source has been able to verify this number. Xinhua claims the deaths are due to ethnic violence.

A statement on the Web site of the World Uyghur Congress says, "According to several Uyghur eyewitnesses, paramilitary forces started to shoot at any Uyghur protester on sight in the evening [July 5], chasing them around in alleyways."

Radio Free Asia reports Rebiya Kadeer, World Uyghur Congress and Uyghur American Association leader, as saying that "Sources at Xinjiang University estimate the number of dead at 'nearly 400,' including many outside Xinjiang University." But she cautioned that "we can't confirm that number."

"The information we are getting is that this is sort of spreading," she said.

Media access has been severed to the area and the Internet is cut. Websites such as Twitter have been blocked to as far as Beijing, over 2,000 miles away.

According to the Uighur Human Rights Project (UHRP), between 1,000 to 3,000 Uighurs were protesting in Urumqi after an incident in the southern province of Guangdong days earlier.

The protest was against the Chinese regime's unfair treatment of Uighurs during a clash between ethnic Han and Uighur Chinese at a toy factory in Shaodong city.

World Reaction

Photo taken in Xinjiang region Sunday. (The Epoch Times)

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called on all in Xinjiang to exercise restraint in a statement Monday.

“We are deeply concerned over reports of many deaths and injuries from violence in Urumqi in western China,” he said. “Reports, so far, are unclear about the circumstances surrounding the deaths and injuries, so it would be premature to comment or speculate further.”

The president of the European parliament, Hans Gert Poettering called for calm and restraint.

“I explicitly appeal to the Chinese authorities to act in a manner that fully respects human dignity and fundamental human rights, including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful demonstration” he said in a statement Monday.

“I also appeal to the Chinese authorities to allow local and international media to carry out their work in full freedom, including unrestricted access to the internet."

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Cannon, issued a statement Monday calling on China's communist regime to respect the right to peaceful protest.

“The Government of Canada is alarmed at reports of violence and high numbers of casualties following yesterday’s protests in Xinjiang," read the statement.

“We urge restraint on all sides and call on the Government of China to respect freedom of speech and information and the right to peaceful protest. Dialogue and goodwill are required to help resolve grievances and prevent further deterioration of the situation.”

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman said London was concerned about the reports of violence.

“Of course we are concerned about the reports of violence and the scale of the loss of life and I think we would urge restraint on all sides and, where possible, for problems to be resolved through dialogue,” the spokesman said.

Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said they are monitoring the situation closely.

“We've seen those reports. We're obviously not in the position to verify it, but we are very concerned by what we've seen publicly,” Smith said in a statement.

“Of course we're very concerned about the tragic loss of life. And we will continue, as the international community is doing, to make, as appropriately, points to China about human rights and the treatment of people in China.”

Xinjiang is the doorway to China's trade and energy ties with Central Asia, and is itself rich in gas, minerals and farm produce.

But many Uighurs say they see little of that wealth. Almost half of Xinjiang's 20 million people are Uighurs.

The violence in Xinjiang is causing outrage among the Uighur population living overseas. Among them, Wu'er Kaixi, who fled China after leading students to protest on Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Now living and working in Taiwan, Wu'er Kaixi says the Chinse Communist Party uses the U.S.-sponsored fight against terror as an excuse to crack down on the China's Uighurs.

"Especially after 9-11 incident in the U.S., when the U.S. has asked China to join the allies in anti-terrorism, China has adopted this method to label all Uighur ethnic demonstrations or protests, even if it's very peaceful protest, label it as terrorist act,” Kaixi said. “The very fact that Uighur people being Muslim, unfortunately in the world, is one of the reasons not getting attention and sympathy."