Protestors in China defy security crackdown
More protests in China as 1,434 people are arrested following Sunday's riots
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Tuesday, 07, Jul 2009 05:05
Protests in China's Xinjiang region have erupted two days after more than 150 people were killed in riots there.
The ethnic clash between Uighur's and police has been further heightened by groups of ethnic Han Chinese people, who have reportedly taken to the streets of Urumqi armed with batons and stones.
The state run news agency Xinhua reported Li Zhi, Communist Party of China (CPC) chief of Urumqi, as saying: "The rioters violated laws and harmed the fundamental interests of all Chinese ethnic groups," in what was the deadliest riot since New China was founded.
Police in the area have arrested 1,434 suspects since the riots began on Sunday, with 156 people, mostly Han Chinese, reported to have been killed in the violence.
The demonstration was sparked by a fight at a factory between Uighur's and Han Chinese workers last month, in which two Uighur's were killed.
Since the violence started the Muslim Uighur's claim many of their family members have been arbitrarily arrested. More than 300 took to the streets to protest against the arrests, many of whom were women.
There have been reports the unrest may be spreading, with around 200 people dispersed at a mosque in Kashgar yesterday. The government has declared a three-day holiday, and internet and mobile phone services have been blocked.
The violence on Sunday was the worst in China since the 1989 Tiananmen Square clash on student demonstrators.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon led the calls for restraint.