2010 Aksu bombing
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Aksu bombing was a bombing in Aksu, Xinjiang
, People's Republic of China
that resulted in at least seven deaths and fourteen injuries when a Uyghur
man detonated explosives in a crowd of police and paramilitary guards at about 10:30 on 19 August, using a three-wheeled vehicle. The assailant targeted police officers in the area, and most of the victims were also Uyghurs. Xinhua news agency
reported that 6 people were involved in the attack, and 2 had died; the other four were detained by police.
since the 1990s. In the year before the attack, Xinjiang had ethnic tensions that continued to trouble the region. Before the 2010 Aksu blast, Xinjiang Governor Nur Bekri
was quoted as saying Xinjiang faces a "long and fierce and very complicated struggle" because "Separatism in Xinjiang has a very long history, it was there in the past, it is still here now and it will continue in the future."
In July 2009, riots in Ürümqi resulted in the deaths of numerous Han Chinese
and Uyghurs. There was another spate of attacks
in the region a few months later.
, and is just 60 km (37.3 mi) from the border with Kyrgyzstan
. The bomb exploded at the T-intersection of Kalata Road and Wuka Road . According to a report by the Associated Press, two attackers drove a three-wheeled motorbike into a crowd and threw explosives from it. According to reports the attack was carried out by a man, who was arrested on the spot and whom Xinjiang government spokeswoman Hou Hanmin stated is Uyghur
, and a woman who died during the attack.
Most of those killed in the blast were local security officers
. Five victims died on the spot, and two died at the hospital; of the seven, at least five were police officers. An anonymous Radio Free Asia
source claims that officers in the targeted police station had commonly booked Uyghurs with beards or traditional head coverings and brought them to the police station for political education
. However, according to The Epoch Times
, most of the people injured in the blast were common folk. The ethnicity of the victims was not discussed at the news conference of Aksu prefecture, but Hou told reporters that "most of the victims are U[y]ghurs."
At the time of the conference the incident was not classified as a terrorist attack. An early Epoch Times report claimed that the city was put under lockdown after the attack and that the armed police, special police, and armored cars patrolled the streets, although Hou denied this later.
interviewed by Radio Free Asia
, mention of the bombing on internet boards
, including postings containing the official version of events, have been speedily deleted from the internet in China
.
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
that resulted in at least seven deaths and fourteen injuries when a Uyghur
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
man detonated explosives in a crowd of police and paramilitary guards at about 10:30 on 19 August, using a three-wheeled vehicle. The assailant targeted police officers in the area, and most of the victims were also Uyghurs. Xinhua news agency
Xinhua News Agency
The Xinhua News Agency is the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and press conferences in the PRC. It is the largest news agency in the PRC, ahead of the China News Service...
reported that 6 people were involved in the attack, and 2 had died; the other four were detained by police.
Background
A number of violent incidents have occurred in XinjiangXinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
since the 1990s. In the year before the attack, Xinjiang had ethnic tensions that continued to trouble the region. Before the 2010 Aksu blast, Xinjiang Governor Nur Bekri
Nur Bekri
Nur Bekri is the current Chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. He is of Uyghur ethnicity and was born and raised in his native Xinjiang. He has spent his entire life in the Region, aside from a short stint as the Deputy Mayor of Feicheng, Shandong...
was quoted as saying Xinjiang faces a "long and fierce and very complicated struggle" because "Separatism in Xinjiang has a very long history, it was there in the past, it is still here now and it will continue in the future."
In July 2009, riots in Ürümqi resulted in the deaths of numerous Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
and Uyghurs. There was another spate of attacks
September 2009 Xinjiang unrest
In September 2009, Ürümqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China, experienced a period of unrest in the aftermath of the July 2009 Ürümqi riots. Late August and early September saw a series of syringe attacks on civilians. In response to the attacks,...
in the region a few months later.
Attack
The site of the explosion, Aksu , is about 650 km (403.9 mi) west of UrumqiÜrümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
, and is just 60 km (37.3 mi) from the border with Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
. The bomb exploded at the T-intersection of Kalata Road and Wuka Road . According to a report by the Associated Press, two attackers drove a three-wheeled motorbike into a crowd and threw explosives from it. According to reports the attack was carried out by a man, who was arrested on the spot and whom Xinjiang government spokeswoman Hou Hanmin stated is Uyghur
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
, and a woman who died during the attack.
Most of those killed in the blast were local security officers
Public Security Bureau
In the People's Republic of China, a public security bureau refers to the government offices while the smaller offices are called Police posts which are similar in concept to the Japanese Kōban system) present in each province and municipality that handles policing , public security, and...
. Five victims died on the spot, and two died at the hospital; of the seven, at least five were police officers. An anonymous Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
source claims that officers in the targeted police station had commonly booked Uyghurs with beards or traditional head coverings and brought them to the police station for political education
Politics of the People's Republic of China
The politics of the People's Republic of China take place in a framework of a single-party socialist republic. The leadership of the Communist Party is stated in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China...
. However, according to The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times is a multi-language, international media organisation. As a newspaper, the Times has been publishing in Chinese since May 2000. It was founded in 1999 by supporters of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline....
, most of the people injured in the blast were common folk. The ethnicity of the victims was not discussed at the news conference of Aksu prefecture, but Hou told reporters that "most of the victims are U[y]ghurs."
At the time of the conference the incident was not classified as a terrorist attack. An early Epoch Times report claimed that the city was put under lockdown after the attack and that the armed police, special police, and armored cars patrolled the streets, although Hou denied this later.
Investigation
Chinese police stated that it was an intentional act, and that a suspect was detained at the scene after incurring injuries himself. The four detained suspects were part of a "violent gang of six people" according to Xinjiang government spokesperson Hou Hanmin.Internet censorship
According to one netizenNetizen
The term Netizen is a portmanteau of the English words internet and citizen. It is defined as an entity or person actively involved in online communities and a user of the internet, especially an avid one. The term can also imply an interest in improving the internet, especially in regard to open...
interviewed by Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
, mention of the bombing on internet boards
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
, including postings containing the official version of events, have been speedily deleted from the internet in China
Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China
Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China is conducted under a wide variety of laws and administrative regulations. There are no specific laws or regulations which the censorship follows...
.