Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 1:01am
China reports Muslim 'uprising' attempt
China said Muslim extremists in the nation's northwest tried to start a rebellion, which exile groups said is based on a women's protest against Chinese rule. The Khotan government in the Uighur Muslim dominated Xinjiang region said in a statement that extremist forces tried to incite an uprising in a local marketplace March 23, AFP reported Thursday.
"A small number of elements... tried to incite splittism, create disturbances in the market place and even trick the masses into an uprising," the statement said. It said the people involved adhered to the "three evil forces," which refers to separatism, religious extremism and terrorism.
Chinese authorities last month warned that terrorists based in Xinjiang were planning attacks on the Beijing Olympics as police were trying to contain unrest on a much larger scale in neighboring Tibet. People in both regios have long complained of repression under Chinese rule.
An Uighur exile group said the protests erupted after a Muslim businessman died in police custody and hundreds of women gathered to demonstrate against a ban on wearing traditional head scarves. Alim Seytoff, head of the US-based World Uighur Congress, told AFP the two protests included up to a total of 1,000 demonstrators, adding that as many as 600 protesters were detained.
"A small number of elements... tried to incite splittism, create disturbances in the market place and even trick the masses into an uprising," the statement said. It said the people involved adhered to the "three evil forces," which refers to separatism, religious extremism and terrorism.
Chinese authorities last month warned that terrorists based in Xinjiang were planning attacks on the Beijing Olympics as police were trying to contain unrest on a much larger scale in neighboring Tibet. People in both regios have long complained of repression under Chinese rule.
An Uighur exile group said the protests erupted after a Muslim businessman died in police custody and hundreds of women gathered to demonstrate against a ban on wearing traditional head scarves. Alim Seytoff, head of the US-based World Uighur Congress, told AFP the two protests included up to a total of 1,000 demonstrators, adding that as many as 600 protesters were detained.