Writing Wrongs

In the city of Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, a protest and riot broke out yesterday between ethnic Ulghurs and Han . It is reported that 140 people have died as a result and over 800 people are injured. It is said that it is the most serious riots since the 1989 Tian'anmen Square. How this tragic incident is reported, just as the Lhasa riots of last year where, are of interest.

While the Guardian article concentrates on the sabotage and on the ground perceptions of ordinary people the BBC have chose to take the political and blame angle with a bias towards the Ulghur's and against official China- so much so in the video report that it assumes that state police were responsible for the violence. Though it seems to me, as in the Lhasa riots, that the Ulghur ethnic population were attacking the Han population. After all the eyes on China last year, isn't it silly to assume that official China would order a riot police force to shoot at the civilian population? Doesn't that sound more like propaganda?

The China Daily also places the political in the article though towards the other direction, towards the World Uyghur Congress (WUR) for whom China places blame. The article also takes an eye witness account as well as the possible explaination about the trigger of the riot.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/06/china-riots-uighur-xinjiang

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8135203.stm

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-07/06/content_8384017.htm

- J