Chinese authorities say Uygur unrest put down

12:59

New large-scale massacre are unlikely to happen, assured a source of the government authorities of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. However, sporadic clashes with police took place on Tuesday.

“Unrest in Urumqi, in general, has been put down. There may be some bursts of tension, but they are likely to be local in nature,” ITAR-TASS quoted an official source as saying. There are enhanced security measures in all locations in autonomous region. In many areas internet access has been impeded and authorities believe that the participants of the riots used the net to inflame nationalist sentiment and calls for massacre.

The police in Urumqi, capital of the region, demonstrated stronger cordon around the key sites of power and gas facilities, television and local authorities. Checkpoints are located throughout the city and in nearby locations on major highways. This is done “to prevent the escape of any rioters”, told the police. Over one hundred local authorityy members have been involved for search of suspects. 

09:37

China locked down Urumqi, the capital of its northwestern Xinjiang province, on Monday as officials said 156 people had been killed in rioting, in the worst ethnic unrest in the country since the Cultural Revolution, Xinhua reported.

State media said 828 people were injured, 261 vehicles burned and 203 shops destroyed. The tensions come as Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, prepares to meet world leaders on Wednesday at the G8 summit in Italy. The violence also occurred just a month after the 20th anniversary of the Tienanmen Square massacre.

/Ytro, Gazeta.ru, Regnum, Trend News, Newsru/