Xinjiang

I heard on the radio today (BBC World Service) about the outbreak of violence in the Chinese province of Xinjiang. The artist Mamer, who I interviewed for my Chinagrass podcast heralds from Xinjiang. As you will see from my earlier post it is an area which borders many countries and is as rich in culture as it is in oil. It seems that the region has been troubled with alleged Han culture dominance for some years. The majority of people who live there are not Mandarin speaking Han Chinese and I think that the demonstrations started because of an unfair bias in the workplace towards Han Chinese. Information is sketchy and it is hard to know what really goes on there. The Chinese government are currently saying that 156 people have been killed in the riots. At the moment it has been noted by Western reporters that internet access in the region has been cut off.
I hope that this is not going to be another oil rich region where people suffer due to greed and lack of tolerance.
My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones.
You can follow the events through several news agencies:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-07/07/content_8384925.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8135203.stm
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/