SUN WUKONG Beijing scrambles to find scapegoats
By Wu Zhong, China Editor
HONG KONG - In need of a scapegoat over massive protests by the Han Chinese
community in Urumqi, Xinjiang province, against a string of bizarre syringe
attacks supposedly orchestrated by Uyghur separatists, the government at the
weekend sacked Li Zhi, Urumqi's Communist Party chief.
Li, a vice-ministerial-level official, became the first Chinese official to
fall victim to new government regulations that hold local officials accountable
for "mass incidents" - the official term for mass demonstrations - which came
into effect in mid-July.
Li, 59, may have taken a fall to quell growing public anger, particularly among
Han residents, over worsening public security in the region. But the main
target of criticism from the Han
Chinese protesters is Wang Lequan, the party secretary of Xinjiang since 1995.
Analysts agree that Li's removal will secure the position of Wang, also a
politburo member and reportedly a protege of President Hu Jintao, for the near
future - unless the situation in Xinjiang gets too out of control.
The eruption of massive street protests in Urumqi last week was a major
embarrassment for the central government and Hu personally, especially as
Beijing is preparing grand celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the
founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on October 1.
The ongoing unrest in Xinjiang makes it harder for Beijing to boast solidarity
and the harmonious co-existence of ethnic groups as being among the major
achievements of communist rule over the past six decades.
Hu paid a four-day visit to Xinjiang from August 22 to 25 to inspect the
situation in the aftermath of July 5 violence in Urumqi that left 197 people
dead and another 1,600 injured.
In Chinese tradition, when violent unrest occurs in an ethnic-minority region,
the supreme Chinese leader - traditionally the emperor - would not inspect the
area unless he was assured that order had been restored and that the situation
was fully under control.
Similarly, it seems that Hu was assured that the ethnic conflict in Xinjiang
was a closed chapter. During his inspection trip, the president expressed
gratitude to the armed forces and the police for "ending the violence of the
July 5 riot in Urumqi", according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Indeed, both before and during Hu's Xinjiang visit, Xinjiang and Urumqi
officials had stressed that "life was becoming normal" and that tourists were
again visiting Urumqi.
But last Thursday, tens of thousands of angry Urumqi residents, mostly ethnic
Han, took to the streets in protest against the government's failure to stop
hypodermic syringe attacks on Han pedestrians, allegedly by Uyghurs.
Urumqi residents feared the syringes contained poison, or blood from
HIV/AIDS-infected patients. Such attacks have previously been reported in the
country.
Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu, who flew to Urumqi at dawn on Friday
to personally oversee the handling of the incident, said the fresh unrest was a
continuation of the July 5 incident. He blamed "overseas separatists" for
attempting to further instigate hatred and conflict between the Han and Uyghur
ethnic groups.
But the September 3 protests were most likely prompted by the government's
inaction over initial reports of syringe attacks. Some protesters told Hong
Kong media that as early as August 17, Han Chinese had complained to local
police of syringe stabbings, allegedly by Uyghurs. These were said to have
continued "almost every day" since then - even during Hu's visit, and Urumqi
police now admit that attacks had taken place since August 17.
Police inaction could be explained by a mistaken belief that the incidents were
isolated. However, it is more likely that the authorities were afraid to launch
high-profile searches that could have intensified ethnic conflict and made a
mockery of claims that law and order had been restored.
But the inaction led Han residents, who account for 75% of Urumqi's 2.3 million
population, to take matters into their own hands by staging protests, with the
first major demonstration taking place last Thursday. According to Xinhua,
these protests were attended by "tens of thousands of people" and they
"crippled city traffic and forced shops in major commercial streets to shut".
Syringe stabbings occurred even during the protests and one attacker was caught
at the scene, Xinhua said, with only police intervention saving her from being
lynched. Armed police prevented the crowd from going to Uyghurs areas, but five
people were killed and more than a dozen injured during the September 3
protests, Xinhua reported.
Both Wang Lequan and Li Zhi made public appearances on different occasions
during the protests. "Wang Lequan, step down!" the protesters shouted. On Hong
Kong television, some protestors were seen throwing plastic bottles at him.
"This government is unable to protect people's lives. It must be changed," one
protester said.
Han residents are not happy with Wang, whom they accuse of mishandling the July
5 incident. (See 'King
of Xinjiang' faces blame for riots, July 16, 2009, Asia Times Online)
In Washington, exiled Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer has also called on Wang to
step down, blaming him for intensifying ethnic conflict in Xinjiang. For once,
the Han and Uyghur ethnic groups in Xinjiang seem to have some common ground.
Wang, however, will likely remain in his post. He is a politburo member and
"there is no precedent of a politburo member being sacked for his mistakes",
according to a sociology researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
(CASS) in Beijing.
Two former politburo members, ex-Beijing party chief Chen Xitong and
ex-Shanghai party chief Chen Liangyu have previously been jailed over
corruption, but only as a result of power struggles. If Wang were to be
replaced, Beijing would have to find someone suitably experienced in handling
ethnic issues.
"At this stage, dismissing Li Zhi is the proper move. The current unrest has
only [occurred] in Urumqi, and as party chief of the city, Li certainly is the
first person to blame. But if the whole situation in Xinjiang gets out of
control, then Wang cannot shirk his responsibility," said the CASS researcher.
Li's dismissal was announced on Saturday, and he was immediately replaced by
Zhu Hailun, 51, the secretary of the CPC's Xinjiang Committee of Political and
Legal Affairs. Zhu commands all law-enforcement forces in the region and this
replacement shows that Beijing places top priority on restoring law and order
in Urumqi.
Xinjiang's police chief Liu Yaohua was also dismissed on Saturday and replaced
by Zhu Changjie, party chief of Xinjiang's Aksu prefecture.
For the time being, the street protests in Urumqi are under control after
police reportedly used tear gas to disperse the crowds. Hospitals in Urumqi are
reported to have dealt with 531 victims of syringe stabbings, 106 of whom
showed obvious signs of needle attacks. Chinese military medical experts on
Saturday ruled out the possibility that radioactive substances, anthrax or
toxic chemicals were used in the attacks, Xinhua reported, adding that samples
had been sent to Beijing for further tests.
By Friday, Xinjiang police had detained 25 suspects, seven of whom had been
held in police custody, four of them had been formally arrested and four others
had been referred for criminal prosecution, Xinhua said.
Since the leadership reshuffle, the Urumqi government has announced a "strike
hard" campaign against syringe attacks. Attackers will be prosecuted quickly
and punished harshly, with convicted attackers possibly being given the death
penalty. Even one who spreads "rumors" about syringe attacks can be jailed for
five years. Meanwhile, unauthorized assemblies and demonstrations are banned
and armed police have been deployed across the city.
The government has also announced the "soft" measure of sending 7,000 officials
described as "harmony makers" to residential communities in Urumqi to help ease
panic and tension.
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