China's Xinjiang hit by fresh unrest

 

 

Armed police were visible on the streets of Xinjiang's capital Urumqi on Saturday

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More than 100 people riding motorcycles, some wielding knives, have attacked a police station in China's western region of Xinjiang, according to state-run media.

Details of Friday's incident in the desert city of Hotan are only just emerging.
It comes two days after clashes in another part of Xinjiang left at least 35 people dead.
An official said China "would strike hard on violent terrorist attacks".
The comments by senior Communist Party official Yu Zhengsheng at a meeting in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi were reported by state-run Xinhua.

Mr Yu appealed for calm and vigilance from local people.

 

 

"We will step up the actions to crack down upon terrorist groups and extremist organisations and track the wanted," he said.
A military exercise took place on the streets of Urumqi on Saturday, according to Agence France-Presse news agency.
The agency reported that large sections of the city centre were shut down as tanks and armed personnel blocked access to streets.
China's Global Times, which is owned by the Communist Party, reports that security has been beefed up in Xinjiang.
Confirming reports from the region is difficult because information is tightly controlled.
Ethnic divisions Xinjiang has seen sporadic outbreaks of violence fuelled by ethnic tensions.
The Muslim Uighur community makes up about 45% of the population in the region, which borders central Asia. Many Uighurs feel that an influx of Han Chinese has left them and their culture marginalised.
The latest unrest comes on the fourth anniversary of rioting in Urumqi, in which almost 200 people died.

 

Uighurs are culturally distinct from Han Chinese, who make up the majority of the population in China