|
|
| China lays first charges over
Xinjiang riots |
| |
|
Reuters |
BEIJING - China announced the first charges to be laid
in connection with violent unrest in July that shook
China's northwest region of Xinjiang, home to Muslim
Uighurs.
Twenty-one people had been charged with murder, arson,
robbery and damaging property during ethnic riots that
erupted in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital, on July 5, Xinhua
news agency said.
A total of 197 people were killed over several days of
rioting in the ethnically divided city, most from the
Han Chinese majority.
Of the eight "leading" suspects identified in the
report, six appear to be Uighurs. Investigations
continue.
Rebiya Kadeer, a Uighur leader accused by China of
inciting the violence, said the "shadow of communism"
could fall on democratic Taiwan, China's neighbor and
diplomatic rival, which refused her permission to visit.
Citing security concerns, Taiwan's interior minister
told parliament that Kadeer, president of the World
Uyghur Congress, could not accept an invitation backed
by the island's anti-China opposition to visit in
December for a series of speeches.
"I am very concerned about the future of Taiwan," the
exiled, U.S.-based Kadeer said in a statement. "I fear
that the shadow of communism may fall on the people of
Taiwan.
China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan
since 1949, when Mao Zedong's forces won the Chinese
civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's KMT fled to the island.
Beijing has threatened to use force, if necessary, to
bring Taiwan under its rule.
Reporting by David Stanway |
| |
|
