129 men and 27 women have been killed in the northwestern region of Xinjiang China, according to the Communist Party of China. More than 1,000 more were injured in the violent riots between the Han nationality and the minority Muslim Uyghur people.
The riots began on Sunday after a protest rally over the death of two Uyghur workers in a fight in a toy factory that took place June 26. Xinjiang is quiet Tuesday after two days of public unrest, which resulted in at least 1,434 arrests of angry rioters. Uyghurs of Xinjiang have felt like second-class citizens to the ruling Han people for years.
The ethnic tensions lead to the most violent protests since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
