“Hundreds of riot police are standing with water cannons in front of me. They have riot shields, they are armed with guns, but they have large batons. They’re telling the Uighurs around me to disperse, they’re telling them to go home or they will use the water cannons.” (BBC)
That was the scene caught by the BBC in July when protestors and police clashed in Urumqi in China’s Xinjiang province.
Chinese media reported Monday that trials for the rioters will begin within the week.
We’re tracking media perspectives from Al Jazeera English, Foreign Policy, Today’s Zaman, Australia’s ABC Radio and China Daily for what could have been the real motivations behind the violence and views on the trials.
Al Jazeera English reports both sides’ views on how the conflict began.
“Uighur groups say China’s repressive policies combined with years of mass migration to Xinjiang by Han Chinese, has stoked ethnic tensions in Xinjiang, sowing the seeds for the recent violence.
The Chinese government has blamed Uighur exiles for stoking the unrest, singling out Rebiya Kadeer, a Uighur businesswoman who was jailed for years in China before being released into exile in the US.”
However, Foreign Policy brings in perspective from Kadeer herself. She told the magazine that despite the Chinese government’s claims, she had no role in the attacks.
“I'm not very happy at all, because they're accusing me [of causing] what happened in Xinjiang, when they should be asking themselves why it took place. Why did those people take to the streets to demand justice?”
Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman tries to answer that question, citing Qasim al-Masri of the Organization of the Islamic Conference who claims the riots were all about money.
“‘There are major economic problems in the region’, al-Masri said, adding that Chinese officials also admitted the presence of economic discrepancy and that it was the result of rapid economic movement.”
Whatever the cause might be, the Chinese government is getting ready for the trials. Australia’s ABC Radio reports there has been an influx of troops to the Xinjiang region.
“Tensions are expected to be extremely high on the streets of Urumqi, and so the Chinese government has stepped up its security operation there. There will be more troops on the streets, particularly around the courthouses where these trials are expected to take place this week.”
Finally, Chinese newspaper China Daily offers an optimistic outlook from an Urumqi resident.
"Many people were simply fooled and instigated by Rebiya Kadeer; I hope people will see the truth more clearly after the trials - the truth that we Uygur people can't live without Han and Han can't live without Uygurs…We Uygur people hope for peace and prosperity as much as any other ethnic group."
Who do you think is at fault for the violence in Xinjiang? Will the trials spark a new wave of violence?
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