Mobile 156 of Urumqi riot deaths are innocent civilians 2009-Aug-5 23:15:03
URUMQI: Authorities in?Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region confirmed Wednesday that innocent civilians accounted for 156 of the 197 deaths in the Urumqi riot a month ago. ? ?
Hou Hanmin, spokesman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Government, said?that of the 156 dead civilians, 134?are Han Chinese, 11?are?of Hui ehtnicity, 10?are Uygurs, and one?is from the Man ethnic group. ? ?
Twelve others were shot while committing violence or criminal activities. The identities of the remainder deaths have yet to be determined. ? ?
Hou also denied foreign media report?that an associate professor of the ethnic Uygur at?Beijing's Minzu University?has been?detained?in connection with?the Urumqi riot. ? ?
"Further investigations show no teaching staff of ethnic Uygurs has been interrogated in connection with the Urumqi unrest on July 5," said Hou.??
According to Chen Zhuangwei, head of the Public Security Department of Urumqi, 718 people have been detained who are suspected of involvement in the July 5 riot, which left 197 people dead and more than 1,600 injured. ?
Eighty three people had been arrested?in connection with?the riot, said Procurator Utiku'er Abudrehman of the People's?Procuratorate of Urumqi City Tuesday.