Thursday, September 6, 2007

Ethnic Violence in China

Another article that lifts a lid a little on the internal 'race' and ethnic issues inside china:

1 dead, 20 hurt in ethnic clashes

BEIJING — Clashes between minority Chinese Muslims and the Han majority last month left at least one person dead and 20 injured, a Hong Kong newspaper and human rights group reported yesterday.

The fighting in the province of Shandong broke out on Aug 17 after a Hui man was caught stealing and beaten by several Han in the town of Shimiao. The man returned to the Muslim neighbourhood where several thousand Hui people gathered sticks, bricks and other improvised weapons and marched on the town's commercial district.

The fighting was only brought under control after several hundred members of the People's Armed Police were dispatched to the scene. Official media do not report on the sensitive issue of ethnic clashes, the likely reason why word of the incident has only leaked out now.

Numerous violent incidents between Hui and Han have been reported in recent years, including a December 2000 clash in Henan province in which police shot dead at least six Hui men. — AP

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