BEIJING: Chinese authorities imposed tight control in the capital of Xinjiang yesterday, the fourth anniversary of ethnic rioting which killed around 200 people, state media and exile groups said.
Internet users posted pictures of baton-wielding security personnel in Urumqi, the scene of clashes in 2009 between mostly Muslim Uighurs and members of China’s Han majority that were Xinjiang’s worst violence of recent years.
Last week two incidents in the region left 35 people dead and officials have vowed to crack down on what they call “terrorists”.
“Wearing helmets, officers patrolled the capital holding guns and shields,” said the state-run Global Times, describing the “heaviest security measures since 2009” in Urumqi.
There was “a heavy presence of armed police officers and police vehicles at all major crossroads in Urumqi”, it added.
China commonly steps up patrols for the July 5 anniversary of the riots but the report said: “Last week’s violence in the region has made authorities particularly watchful.”
A user of Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblogging service, who was visiting the city, said security was tight. “The Urumqi train station feels safe,” posted the user under the name Zhangxh1970. “On the square there are only police. People who came to pick up passengers are stopped outside.”
AFP
