Exiled Uighur Group Refutes Clash in Xinjiang was a "Terrorist Act"
- 13 years ago
For more news visit ☛ http://english.ntdtv.com Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision Add us on Facebook ☛ http://facebook.com/NTDTelevision
A deadly clash broke out in China's western Xinjiang region on Monday. It was the worst this year in a region where ethnic tensions have been simmering between Han Chinese and Uighurs. Local authorities are calling it a terrorist attack. An Exiled Uighur group is refuting those claims.
An exiled Uighur group refutes Chinese authorities' claims that the violent clash on Monday in Xinjiang was a pre-meditated terrorist act.
On Wednesday Chinese authorities raised the death toll from 4 to 18, saying 2 of them were policemen, 2 more were hostages and 14 were "rioters" that had attacked a police station in Hotan city.
But according to the German-based World Uighur Congress that's a fabrication. They say local Uighurs only retaliated after police had cracked down on their peaceful protest.
[Dolkun Isa, Secretary-General of the World Uyghur Congress]:
"For two weeks, Chinese communist police have been searching Uighur homes on a large scale, and also arrested a lot of Uighur youths. Their family and friends were angered and on Monday, they gathered near the police station, hoping to ask the government why it arrested these people, and sought their release. But the police announced their gathering was illegal and then attacked them."
The group says Chinese police beat 14 Uighurs to death, and shot 6 dead during the clashes. Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer also refuted Chinese authorities' claims that the men were armed with knives and a Molotov cocktail.
[Rebiya Kadeer, President of the World Uyghur Congress]:
"After inquiries, the Uighurs were not armed at all. There (was) not a wood stick in their hands."
A deadly clash broke out in China's western Xinjiang region on Monday. It was the worst this year in a region where ethnic tensions have been simmering between Han Chinese and Uighurs. Local authorities are calling it a terrorist attack. An Exiled Uighur group is refuting those claims.
An exiled Uighur group refutes Chinese authorities' claims that the violent clash on Monday in Xinjiang was a pre-meditated terrorist act.
On Wednesday Chinese authorities raised the death toll from 4 to 18, saying 2 of them were policemen, 2 more were hostages and 14 were "rioters" that had attacked a police station in Hotan city.
But according to the German-based World Uighur Congress that's a fabrication. They say local Uighurs only retaliated after police had cracked down on their peaceful protest.
[Dolkun Isa, Secretary-General of the World Uyghur Congress]:
"For two weeks, Chinese communist police have been searching Uighur homes on a large scale, and also arrested a lot of Uighur youths. Their family and friends were angered and on Monday, they gathered near the police station, hoping to ask the government why it arrested these people, and sought their release. But the police announced their gathering was illegal and then attacked them."
The group says Chinese police beat 14 Uighurs to death, and shot 6 dead during the clashes. Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer also refuted Chinese authorities' claims that the men were armed with knives and a Molotov cocktail.
[Rebiya Kadeer, President of the World Uyghur Congress]:
"After inquiries, the Uighurs were not armed at all. There (was) not a wood stick in their hands."