Updated on
Summary
The Chinese authorities have acknowledged shooting dead 12 Uighur rioters in Xinjiang this month, in a rare acknowledgment of deaths at the hands of security forces.Nuer Baikeli, governor of the north-western region, said police had exercised the greatest restraint as they sought to suppress riots in the capital Urumqi.Brutal inter-ethnic violence over several days left 197 dead and more than 1,700 wounded. Last week the government offered the first breakdown of fatalities, saying 137 Han and 46 Uighurs died. But until now officials have given few details of when and how people met their deaths.The governor said police first fired into the air in warning and then shot dead the armed Uighurs as they attacked civilians and ransacked shops. Three rioters died on the spot and the others on their way to or in hospital.Gangs of Uighurs torched buildings and vehicles and launched indiscriminate attacks on mostly Han Chinese. Two days later, Han mounted revenge attacks on Uighurs, although security forces dispersed many with tear gas.Uighurs make up almost half of Xinjiang's population, although Han are dominant in Urumqi and across the country. Many Uighurs complain that their way of life is being eroded by strict controls on religion and Han immigration.
