NYT: Ethnic Clashes Erupt in China, Leaving 150 Dead

[truthpusher]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/31/international/asia/31cnd-china.html?ei=5006&en=c4c119d7ec061625&ex=1099890000&partner=ALTAVISTA1&pagewanted=print&position=

October 31, 2004
Ethnic Clashes Erupt in China, Leaving 150 Dead
By JOSEPH KAHN

EIJING, Oct. 31 - Violent clashes between members of the Muslim Hui ethnic group and the majority Han group left nearly 150 people dead and forced authorities to declare martial law in a section of Henan Province in central China, journalists and witnesses in the region said today.

The fighting flared late last week and continued into the weekend after a Hui taxi driver fatally struck a 6-year-old Han girl, prompting recriminations between different ethnic groups in neighboring villages, these people said.

<snip>

Although most Chinese belong to the dominant Han ethnic group, the country has 55 other groups, including several Muslim minorities and others who have ties to Tibet, Southeast Asia, Korea and Mongolia.

Ethnic Muslim Uighurs in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang have led sporadic uprisings against Chinese rule and authorities maintain a heavy police presence there to prevent an Islamic insurgency.

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/31/international/asia/31cnd-china.html?ei=5006&en=c4c119d7ec061625&ex=1099890000&partner=ALTAVISTA1&pagewanted=print&position=