URUMQI, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Xinjiang Communist Party of China (CPC) chief Wang Lequan said Monday the riot in Urumqi revealed the violent and terrorist nature of the separatist World Uyghur Congress leader Rebiya Kadeer.
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Vehicles set on fire and destroyed in Sunday night's riot are seen on Beiwan Street in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 6, 2009. (Xinhua/Shen Qiao)
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"The riot has destroyed the spiritual support with which the terrorist, separatist and extremist forces cheated the people to participate in the so-called 'Jihad'," Wang said in an interview with Xinjiang TV.
"The incident also revealed Rebiya's nature of fake human rights, fake democracy, true violence and true terrorism," he said.
Wang called the riot a profound lesson learned in blood and said all Party members should take the strongest measures to deal with the enemies' attempt at sabotage and keep regional stability.
"We must always bear in mind that national unity is our lifeline," he said.
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A man injured in Sunday night's riot receives treatment at the People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 6, 2009. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)
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More than 140 people died and at least 828 were injured in Sunday night's riot in Urumqi, the regional capital. The death toll would still be climbing, the regional government said Monday.
Rioters burned 261 motor vehicles, including 190 buses, at least 10 taxis and two police cars, said Liu Yaohua, the region's police chief.
Police have arrested several hundred in connection with the riot, including at least a dozen who were suspected of fanning the unrest. Police are still searching for about 90 other key suspects in the city. Liu said.
Urumqi Riot
Death toll in Xinjiang riot rises to 156
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Firemen put out a fire in Dawannanlu Street in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on July 5, 2009. (Xinhua/Shen Qiao)
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URUMQI,July 7 (Xinhua) -- Death toll has risen to 156 following the riot Sunday evening in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to official sources.
Li Yi, head of the publicity department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Xinjiang regional committee, said early Tuesday morning that the dead include 129 men and 27 women. Full story
Traffic blockade remains in some streets of NW Chinese city
URUMQI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Riot-plagued Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was slowly returning calm but traffic blockade remained in some streets Monday night after the riot on Sunday evening killed at least 156 people.
Police officers were seen wearing riot gear and standing guard in downtown areas. Police vehicles kept patrolling the blockaded streets including Xinhua South Road and Renmin Road Monday night. Full story
Police have evidence of World Uyghur Congress masterminding Xinjiang riot
URUMQI, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Police in northwest China's Xinjiang region said Monday they have evidence that the separatist World Uyghur Congress led by Rebiya Kadeer masterminded the Sunday riot that left 140 people dead.
An unidentified spokesman of the Xinjiang regional department of public security said some people used "a number of telephones outside the country" to direct mobs in Xinjiang to stage the violence.
Police have obtained recordings of calls between overseas Eastern Turkestan groups and their accomplices in the country, the officer said. Full story
Commentary: Riot a catastrophe for Xinjiang
BEIJING, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Sunday's deadly riot in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region bruised the beautiful city of Urumqi and shocked the world, barely 16 months after the nightmarish Lhasa violence that still clings to many Chinese minds. Full story
Eyewitness accounts of Xinjiang riot
URUMQI, July 6 (Xinhua) -- When sunshine fell upon the ruins which used to be a supermarket, Liu Jie, the owner, was still frightened by Sunday's nightmare.
The supermarket, in Houquan street, lost more than 900,000 yuan (132,353 U.S. dollars) in the riot.
In the street, five buses and four cars were burned and a driver was missing, said the lady in her 30s, quivering and crying. Her hands and legs were black from dust and ashes. Full story
Backgrounder: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
Backgrounder: Previous unrests in China's Xinjiang region
