Locals hope for normal life after riot

By Zhao Huanxin (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-08 07:44

URUMQI: Some Uygurs in this city continued with protests Tuesday morning, while others were saying they wanted nothing more than for life to return to normal.

At least 200 Uygur ethnic minority residents took to the downtown streets of the regional capital at around 10:30 am Tuesday for a protest that coincided with a visit from international reporters to Dawan Nanlu Road, one of the areas hit hardest by Sunday's riot.

Protesters, mostly women at first, cried and shouted slogans as nine busloads of journalists arrived to see the location where rioters had set on fire rows of cars at the weekend.

A burned-out shell was all that remained of a two-floor store there and neighboring businesses that were damaged Sunday, had broken windows and smashed pottery strewn on the ground.

"They want to take advantage of the reporters' visit; they know the tricks," said a local police officer, who refused to give his name.

Police with shields and helmets gathered on the street and the number of protesters swelled with the arrival of more locals, including young men, prompting the deployment of even more riot police who were rushed to the scene by car.

A crying woman claimed that police had taken her husband from their home on Monday night. She insisted he had done nothing wrong.

A bystander watching the protest Tuesday said: "What about the 156 people who died in the unrest and more than 1,000 who were wounded? Who was more wronged?"

Aimaiti, 24, whose Karwan Car Deco Store was relatively undamaged, despite being only a few meters from a torched car dealership, appealed for calm.

"My business was almost ruined," he said. "I wouldn't like to see any more chaos."

Aimaiti, who opened his store four years ago, told China Daily that before the riot, he could earn up to 3,000 yuan ($440) a day. Now, business was at a standstill.

He said during Sunday's unrest, a large group of ethnic Uygurs smashed cameras in front of his shop at around 8 pm. He said they were about to loot his building when he and 10 colleagues went out to reason with them.

"I asked them, why did they smash it (the video monitor)? What wrong had we done? They somehow left and moved on."

He said he was scared and has since elected to sit outside his business with four workers to keep watch on the building.

"My friends, the Han and Uygur as well, have made a lot of phone calls to console me. Some are suppliers in Guangzhou, asking me to be cautious of safety," he said. "I told them I was fine, and that I anticipate things will go back to normal in one or two weeks, so they can go on shipping car decoration materials to me."

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