More than 50 people were killed in an attack on a coal mine in China’s far-western region of Xinjiang in September. Most of the casualties were among people of Han Chinese majority.
Officials have stated that the security situation in the region is a very serious matter.
The attack was conducted by separatists from the Chinese government. Their main weapons of choice were knives.
The attack comes at the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the “Xinjiang Autonomous Region”. The founding of this region included state television broadcasts featuring happy ethnic minorities celebrating in China.
Leader of religious groups and ethnic minorities in China, Yu Zhengsheng, insisted that the situation was under control.
“We must fully recognise that Xinjiang faces a very serious situation in maintaining long-term social stability, and we must make a serious crackdown on violent terror activities the focal point of our struggle,” he said in a speech that was broadcasted on state television.
The government of China has stated that their government is under serious threat from militants and separatists in the area of Xinjiang. The area, which is on the border of central Asia, is known for containing a large amount of natural resources.
However certain exiles and rights groups have claimed that the country never presented evidence that a militant group was fighting the Chinese government. They have said that much of the uneasiness can be sourced to displeasure over the culture and religion of the Uygur who live in the region of Xinjiang. China has denied such allegations.
According to reports, separatists killed security guards to enter the facility before attacking workers of the mine. Most of the workers were not on shift at the time. Separatists also filled their trucks with coal and rammed the trucks into police vehicles in order to fend off law enforcement officers. Hundreds of people have died from violence in the region in recent years.
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