China: Hard to Get Accurate Numbers Out of Xinjiang

One thing that’s hard to keep track of during these riots in China’s Xinjiang province is names and numbers: How many are dead and injured, and who is responsible for the violence?

With lines of communication cut, it’s hard to learn just what is happening in Xinjiang.

The Chinese state media reports that 156 people are dead and over 1,000 are injured. State media doesn’t say whether victims were Uighurs or Han Chinese, but blames so-called „overseas forces“ for the violence.

On the other hand, the World Uyghur Congress reports that as many as 800 people have been killed and thousands injured—mainly Uighur protestors shot or beaten by the Chinese police and paramilitary.

Our own reporter interviewed this local resident on the phone. She blames the Chinese police for making things worse, and believes the death toll is more than a thousand.

[Urumqi Resident]:
„The communication lines have been cut. When the armed police see crowds of people, or if they hear something, they will open fire on the crowd, even if there are innocent people.“

Although what this woman says cannot be confirmed, she says the Chinese regime is covering up the true death toll.

(NTDTV)