UNREST CONTINUES IN URUMQI, COUNTER DEMONSTRATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001878

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/07/2029
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PROP CH
SUBJECT: UNREST CONTINUES IN URUMQI, COUNTER DEMONSTRATION
BY HAN CHINESE, OFFICIAL DEATH TOLL AT 156

REF: BEIJING 1876

Classified By: Acting Political Section Chief
Ben Moeling. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) During a third day of unrest in Urumqi, large
numbers of rioters of Han nationality engaged in
counter protests directed at Uighur residents and
businesses. According to a U.S. Embassy officer in
Urumqi, as of 1800 local time, unrest, including
explosions and the use of tear gas by police,
continued. Urumqi-based American citizens contacted
by the Embassy July 7 reported they were safe and
staying indoors. Post sent a letter to the Xinjiang
Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) July 6 requesting
information on whether any Amcits had been injured
or detained, but has received no response. Phones
rang unanswered at the Xinjiang FAO for the second
day. Late in the evening on July 6, MFA called in
the Charge to provide an official description of the
events; that description was identical to the
account provided by State media outlet Xinhua. The
official death toll now stands at 156 and
authorities report making 1434 arrests. End Summary

DEATH TOLL AT 156, OVER 1000 INJURED
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2. (U) Xinhua News Agency revised the death toll to
156, a figure which remained steady during the
morning and afternoon of July 7. Xinhua reported
that over 1000 had been injured and 1434 had been
arrested.

PARTY SECRETARY BLAMES REBIYA KADEER
--------------


3. (U) After midnight July 7, Xinhua News Agency
published a statement by Xinjiang Communist Party
Secretary Wang Lequan stating that Rebiya Kadeer and
the World Uighur Congress were behind the riots.
Chinese media outlets gave heavy coverage to
official assertions that Kadeer and exile Uighur
groups orchestrated the violence.


4. (C) In Urumqi, PolOff reported a reduced police
and PAP presence the morning of July 7 compared to
the previous day. Several Urumqi residents told
PolOff that work units and businesses had ordered
employees to remain home and that shops would remain
closed for three days following the July 5 riot.
Most businesses in Urumqi were closed July 7, except
for street stalls. A retiree told PolOff he had
been told by authorities to remain home. PolOff did
not see any indicators of an official curfew, but
residents reported that authorities had ordered all
cars off the roads by 7pm the night of July 6.


5. (C) PolOff reported that People's Square, an
epicenter of the July 5 rioting, remained closed by
police. From a distance, PolOff observed police and
PAP on the square. While PolOff saw approximately
five personnel on People's Square who appeared to be
in People's Liberation Army uniforms, all military-
type vehicles observed had PAP plates.

HAN COUNTER DEMONSTRATION JULY 7
--------------


6. (C) Post received reports of sporadic
demonstrations in Urumqi July 7. Western
journalists on a government-sponsored tour of riot
damage encountered a protest of about 200 Uighurs
who screamed that their husbands and children had
been detained. Separately, PolOff observed a
counter demonstration by Han Chinese residents in
the afternoon. At 1330 he witnessed groups of young
Han men massing north of People's Square. At
approximately 1445, PolOff observed nearly one
thousand demonstrators, mostly young Han men, near
the South Gate and Jiefang North Road. Several
demonstrators told PolOff they were responding to
reports that many Han had died during the July 5
riots. Five bus loads of PAP troops arrived at the
scene. The demonstrators, many of whom carried
clubs, appeared to be marching toward a small mosque

BEIJING 00001878 002 OF 002


near the South Gate. Some attacked Uighur
storefronts. At one point the demonstration appear
to grow to several thousand people, some of whom
broke through a blockade of PAP troops. The PAP
soldiers were armed with clubs, but appeared to use
restraint against the Han protestors. Starting at
about 1510, PolOff heard several explosions and
police began firing tear gas into the crowd. PolOff
heard two additional explosions in the city at 1700.
(Note: PolOff believes the explosions were likely
part of the police crowd-control efforts.)

Two Amcits Detained Briefly, Passports Confiscated
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7. (SBU) The ACS section received reports of two
Amcits, David Wong and Adam Grode, who, in separate
incidents, had their passports and cameras
confiscated by Urumqi police after police observed
them taking photographs. The two were briefly
detained and released. As of the afternoon of July
7, both were attempting to retrieve their passports
and other belongings from police. In the afternoon
of July 7, ACS received a call from an American
citizen who reported he was in a bank when, as a
result of unrest nearby, bank employees had locked
the doors and instructed customers to take cover.
All other Urumqi-based Amcits contacted by the
Embassy July 7 reported they were safe and staying
indoors as a precaution. Post sent a letter July 6
to the Xinjiang Foreign Affairs Office (FAO)
requesting information on whether any Amcits were
injured or detained but has received no response.
Xinjiang FAO officials did not answer their phones
July 6 or 7.

Quiet at Beijing's Nationalities University
--------------


8. (SBU) Poloff entered the Beijing campus of
Central University for Nationalities (CUN) July 7
and noticed no unusual security presence. A recent
graduate of the school, which many Uighur students
attend, told PolOff that most students were away for
summer vacation and the school has been quiet.
(Note: CUN was the site of a sit-in demonstration by
Tibetan students following the Lhasa riots in March
2008.)

Charge Receives a Late Night Demarche July 6
--------------


9. (C) MFA called in the Charge after 2100 July 6 to
deliver a demarche formally describing the events
and causes of the unrest (MFA blames outside
agitators, specifically Rebiya Kadeer). See reftel.
GOLDBERG