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Facts show riot 'far beyond ordinary violent matter'

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-19 09:09

Full Coverage:  Riot in Urumqi Related readings: Official: 12 thugs in riot shot dead Retired officials criticize violence Riot hits regional anti-terror nerve Pakistan's Ambassador condemns violence in Xinjiang The hidden agenda behind riots

According to witnesses, the misdoers' wood clubs were actually used to support the small trees along the Tianchi road. Each one of them was about 1.2 meters long, with a diameter of 5 to 10 cm.

Local residents told reporters that about 60 small trees were planted along the road just in June. They thought the thugs chose here because of the "ready-made" weapons. Also, the residents said there were many alleys and lanes along the road, making it hard to chase the thugs.

Witnesses from other places also claimed that the stones used during the riot were never seen in the city.

Businessmen from the area of the city's woman-children health care center told reporters that they saw people dropped stones from upstairs on passersby and cars along the road. "The stones must be carried upstairs beforehand... How come there were so many stones in the buildings?" One of them said.

Many witnesses' accounts coincide with the records of monitor cameras in which young women repeatedly appeared in black, white or brown robes and black hoods and young men in blue T-shirts.

Professional and Cruel

In interviews, reporters found the main attacking method during the unrest was to hit people in the head with wood clubs and stones.

According to several local hospitals which received injured people during the riot, most of the patients had serious head injuries, and those who died were also due to head injuries.

Photos from the local police also showed that many victims were lying beside scattered stones and bricks -- some were as large as a watermelon.

Transportation facilities were also one of the main targets.

Sources with the Urumqi Bus Group told Xinhua that a total of 28 buses were burned and 266 got smashed. The damaged vehicles accounted for one tenth of the company's total.

A worker from a bus station which was attacked recalled that some misdoers had set up road-blocks in several main streets and they were "very good at driving" and familiar with the structure of vehicles.

Sources with the Urumqi Bus Group said at about 9:30 pm, a group of thugs rushed into the company's yard and took out the electrical wires from the circuit board and started the vehicles. They drove the vehicles to crash the telegraph pole to which a monitor camera was attached.

Witnesses also said that many burned gas-fired vehicles were first ignited from the rear end of the buses where the gas tank was located.

Many company workers were shocked that the misdoers knew so much about their vehicles and said some of the knowledge could only be acquired through professional trainings.

They recalled that in the last two years, some young men were practicing to drive vehicles every night in the area around the bus station. Many workers on night shift heard the noises of engines and screeching sound.

Aim at Government Organizations

During the riot, one policeman was killed and tens were injured when they tried to prevent mobsters from storming into government offices.

The buildings of the Xinjiang regional committee of the Communist Party of China, public security department, fire department and media organizations were all attacked, indicating that the July 5 riot was not a simple violent incident, according to the local public security department.

At about 6:00 pm, reporters saw a crowd gathered in front of the gate of the party committee and tried to dash to the yard. The police stopped them.

At about 8:00 pm, over one hundred thugs attacked a police station at the Longquan Road. Sources with the station said that the crowd kept confronting the police for some 20 minutes and finally scattered when the policemen took out their guns.

At 11:20 pm about forty to fifty misdoers attacked the Xinjiang People's Broadcasting Station and the Xinjiang Television Station. An official with the Xinjiang Radio & Television Bureau said the attackers left after policemen shoot guns into the air.

Analysts said that mob usually wouldn't attack organizations such as party committee, public security department and media if they were not organized or instigated.

Analysts said their conspiracy was far beyond an ordinary violent matter.

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