Urumqi
(AsiaNews / RFA) - At least 12
people are dead and over 100 wounded
following a series of bomb attacks
against government buildings and police stations in Bugur county (Xinjiang region). The attacks date to September 21, but details only
emerged today. The police suspect that the bombs were
the work of separatists from the
Uyghur minority, who have long complained of being subjected to ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and social boycott.
Victims include three
policemen and the seven attackers.
All of these died in the attack on a police station in
Yengisar. The other cities affected are Bugue and
Terekbazar, but the official number
of the victims is not yet known.
Bugur County Hospital has admitted the people
with serious injuries. "There
are at least 100 - says a nurse - because the
beds are full". Patients
being treated include 20 policemen
and a man suspected of being part of the group of attackers.
The Xinjiang region is one of the most turbulent in all of China. Its
Uyghur Muslim minority, who number about nine million, have long sought
independence from China. The central government, for its part, has brought in
hundreds of thousands of settlers to make Han Chinese the dominant ethnic
group. At the same time, it has severely curtailed Muslim religious worship as
well as the teaching of the local language and culture.