Riots in Xinjiang

[knloregon]

"The Western press has many years of practice always making China a bottom feeder, that they've not only conditioned themselves to present stories in a twisted fashion, but have accustomed their readers and listeners to expect it."

 

exactly

[Guest Pommey]

"The Western press has many years of practice always making China a bottom feeder, that they've not only conditioned themselves to present stories in a twisted fashion, but have accustomed their readers and listeners to expect it."

 

exactly

 

 

couldn't agree more , shameful really

[knloregon]

"It's a serious story about life and death."

 

Well put..

 

A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to talk to a US reporter who covered the the first Gulf war, and was in Bagdad part of that time. (his name will remain anonymous) We got around to some of the more gristly aspects of war reporting, and I asked him about body counts, how and why its done. In the latter, he said, because as an objective reporter, we record the dead, and describe who they were. Its news, and they were human.

 

And as to the how---"we do head counts". I said, "so you count the bodies?" He said, "no, we count the heads. In the aftermath of a market bombing, for instance, there is no point in trying to reconstruct what goes where---just count the heads, as best as possible. Record gender, age etc."

 

Clearly, the Western press has no interest in counting Han heads...

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

"It's a serious story about life and death."

 

Well put..

 

A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to talk to a US reporter who covered the the first Gulf war, and was in Bagdad part of that time. (his name will remain anonymous) We got around to some of the more gristly aspects of war reporting, and I asked him about body counts, how and why its done. In the latter, he said, because as an objective reporter, we record the dead, and describe who they were. Its news, and they were human.

 

And as to the how---"we do head counts". I said, "so you count the bodies?" He said, "no, we count the heads. In the aftermath of a market bombing, for instance, there is no point in trying to reconstruct what goes where---just count the heads, as best as possible. Record gender, age etc."

 

Clearly, the Western press has no interest in counting Han heads...

 

Hard to say exactly why the story is being reported in a manner that comes out in support of the uighers. It's done at the expense of telling the complete story.

[david_dawei]

Let's not be unrealistic; we get the story others want to tell. fact or fiction mixes in order to tell a good story according to cultural expectation and protection; I might guess that most journalist would do good in drama class but not in ethics or logic.

 

We'll likely never get the whole story or truth. In the mean time, we have CNN, China Daily and CFL

[whome?]

Let's not be unrealistic; we get the story others want to tell. fact or fiction mixes in order to tell a good story according to cultural expectation and protection; I might guess that most journalist would do good in drama class but not in ethics or logic.

 

We'll likely never get the whole story or truth. In the mean time, we have CNN, China Daily and CFL

 

But let's also not be unrealistic ... some parts of the story reported would be a no-story elsewhere. For example the "bold Muslim woman" protesting fearlessly in front of the big bad Commies for what .....

 

"complaining that the public washrooms were closed at a crowded mosque on Friday — the most important day of the week for Islamic worship."

 

I say hang the Chinese govt. How dare they!!!!

 

Hell ... you ever tried to find a public washroom in majority Han China? They are few and far between and certainly not one that you want to go to unless you really need to ... even the Chinese use them on an emergency basis only. I have been to many cultural sites in China where the public washroom was closed for the whole day for one reason or another.

 

Oh..and by the way the source for this Yahoo News AP report was yet again William Foreman and GILLIAN WONG (aka EDWARD WONG ...is there a reason the guy uses two names?). Surprise.

Edited July 11, 2009 by whome? (see edit history)

[knloregon]

Gillian Wong and Edward Wong are two different reporters Gillian ---AP Edward---NYT----but you sure could make the mistake that they were the same give almost identical prejudice in their reporting --- don't know about Gillian, but as the Wiki article you cited Alan, Edward apparently, isn't even a native Chinese speaker.

 

Here's why the Urumqi became such an instant heart-tug for the western reporters: Unlike Tibet, this time China let western reporters in to report---AND SEE AND COUNT THE DEAD FOR THEMSELVES! ---no indication that any of these idiots actually went to the morgue---at least none have indicated it in the reporting I have seen.

 

But---while the reporters were being shown riot damage, the Uighurs got wind of the tour, and assembled women---many who's sons, fathers and brothers were being detained. Lazy-ass western reporters saw the women and thought AH! THE REAL story! Not the PRC official tour!! ---and made a bee-line towards the Uighur women WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE ON-GROUND OFFICIALS!

 

As I pointed out to the editor at The Oregonian---of course these 'brave' women were passionate --- this is now a mass-murder investigation, and their male relatives are being investigated for these and other crimes----do you really think it would be different in the US? Do you imagine that the rioters---in the wake of mass killings would not be rounded up and detained?

 

And is always the case----and here is where you are right on target Alan----the women aren't news.

 

As I pointed out to the editor: When suspects in the US are held for horrible crimes there is often a wave of sympathy by relatives-----and they often seek out the reporters covering the story, trying to put a good word in for their family member-----responsible news organizations almost never report that fluf. The news is the facts on the ground.

 

But not in Xinjiang---at the hands of these western clowns.

[samsong]

I think I have said this; "I'm not taking sides" because both sides are guilty of atrocities as far as I can gather. The area in turmoil is half a world away and all we can do is rely on whatever reporting we can receive. The west will put their spin on it and China state-run media will report whatever they see good for the Party. You have to weigh it out from both sides for yourself and come up with your own supposal until/unless we get a report from a reliable source that we all can take in as the truth. Anyone know any source like that?

[Guest jin979]

should use old emperors way. punish the bad peoples all family.

[whome?]

Human interest story? OK.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/1...ce-victim-story

 

Dong Yuanyuan should be on honeymoon, sightseeing in Shanghai with her husband. But late last Sunday night, their bus stopped when a set of traffic lights in Urumqi turned red.

 

A few seconds earlier and the newlyweds might have escaped the ethnic riot sweeping the city. Instead, the hail of rocks and sticks that crashed down on them began an ordeal that would leave the 24-year-old teacher with injuries to her head, neck, arms and legs ¨C and without her husband.

I had not seen this. Brings the story to the human level ... and I am sure there are stories like this on both sides.

[samsong]

An article reporting rioting in Xinjiang (Sinkiang) in 1967.

 

You can follow this link to the archive section shown on the left. It has the artcle from 1967. also on that page is the Apollo I accident of January 27, 1967.

The link to the archived article apparently is timed to expire. But it is an interesting page.

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle6679150.ece

Edited July 12, 2009 by samsong (see edit history)

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

Human interest story? OK.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/1...ce-victim-story

 

Dong Yuanyuan should be on honeymoon, sightseeing in Shanghai with her husband. But late last Sunday night, their bus stopped when a set of traffic lights in Urumqi turned red.

 

A few seconds earlier and the newlyweds might have escaped the ethnic riot sweeping the city. Instead, the hail of rocks and sticks that crashed down on them began an ordeal that would leave the 24-year-old teacher with injuries to her head, neck, arms and legs ¨C and without her husband.

I had not seen this. Brings the story to the human level ... and I am sure there are stories like this on both sides.

 

With close to 200 people being reported killed, there are likely many more that were beaten and injured. What gets muddled in this emotional picture, is the event that first prompted the beatings and killings.

 

If you measure this in perspective, imagine living in a community where there is tension between two ethic peoples. Although there is tension, everyone seems to at least get along. Then, one day, one of the ethnic groups decides they will make a point by getting together a large group of young men. Whether the objective began as a peaceable one is highly debatable, because most of the Uighur men were armed with sticks and knives. All the reports I've seen do not dispute this fact, though many reports seem to obscure it.

 

When does it become okay to run through the streets beating people, burning cars buses and buildings? If a group of people are doing that in your neighborhood, then you would likely do what it takes to defend yourself. Violence begets violence, but ignoring the fact that young Uighur men started the violence, is also a crime.

Edited July 13, 2009 by ShaQuaNew (see edit history)

[samsong]

It's been reported that Chinese security forces opened fired on peaceful protesters.

"We are extremely saddened by the heavy-handed use of force by the Chinese security forces against the peaceful demonstrators," said Alim Seytoff, vice-president of the Washington-based Uighur American Association.

 

"We ask the international community to condemn China's killing of innocent Uighurs. This is a very dark day in the history of the Uighur people," he said.

 

So, who knows what to believe or who is actually at fault.

I've read where up to a thousand people where killed. I don't know what to believe. So all I can do is to blame both sides. The truth will never be known. I feel sorry for them.

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

should use old emperors way. punish the bad peoples all family.

 

It's not a popular alternative, but something the Israeli's do after they are attacked by terror groups.

[Randy W]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090706/ts_nm/us_china_xinjiang

 

Nearly all Uighurs traced the protests on Sunday back to their own anger over a confrontation in far southern China in late June, when Han Chinese fought Uighurs working in a factory in Shaoguan, leaving two Uighurs dead, after a false allegation that some of them had raped a Han Chinese woman.

 

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story...46-2703,00.html

 

Uighurs say the riots were triggered by the June 25 deaths of Uighur factory workers killed in a brawl in the southern Chinese city of Shaoguan. The trouble started when rumours began to spread that Turkic-speaking, mainly Muslim Uighur migrant workers at the toy plant had raped Chinese women.

 

Allegations were also posted online, and travelled through the Han community.

 

Police eventually said the charges were untrue. But as word spread of further alleged sexual assaults, enraged Han workers attacked their Uighur co-workers. State media say two Uighurs were killed and dozens injured. Uighur groups say the death toll was higher.