China: More than 140 killed in ethnic clashes

Beijing, Jul 6: In what seems to be the biggest unrest since the Tiananmen Square, about 140 people have been killed and about 800 people have been wounded in riots that took place in the western region of China.

On Sunday, Jul 5 members of the Uighur minority clashed ethnic Han Chinese in Xinjiang. About 3000 rioters went on a rampage and created raucous.

The police are expecting a raise in the death toll. They have reportedly arrested 10 people who were behind instigating these clashes along with hundreds of others who participated in the clashes.

Uighur exile groups said the violence started when Chinese security forces cracked down on the peaceful protest. The violence sparked off few days after the clashes between Han Chinese and Uighur workers at a toy factory in the southern Guangdong province in which two Uighurs were killed and 188 wounded.

The tension between the communities and police has been there since years. However, according to the state media, latest riot was not a spontaneous outburst but rather a incited one.

OneIndia News