Chinese officials target Uighurs in wake of Beijing explosion
Chinese authorities have detained hundreds of people after a truck explosion last week in Tiananmen Square, putting the spotlight on the restive Uighur ethnic minority
Ethnic Uighur men work at a farming area near Lukqun town, in Xinjiang province in this October 30, 2013 file photo. China's claims that it is fighting an Islamist insurgency in energy-rich Xinjiang - a vast area of deserts, mountains and forests geographically located in central Asia - are not new. A decade ago, China used the 9/11 attacks in the United States to justify getting tough with what it said were al Qaeda-backed extremists who wanted to bring similar carnage to Xinjiang. For many Chinese, the rather benign view of Xinjiang which existed in China pre-Sept. 11, 2001 - as an exotic frontier with colourful minorities who love dancing and singing - has been replaced with suspicion.CARLOS BARRIA/Reuters
An ethnic Uighur woman pushes a bicycle with her son on it along a dirt road in Turpan, Xinjiang province in this October 31, 2013 file photo.CARLOS BARRIA/Reuters
A Uighur man works in a kitchen of a restaurant in Turpan, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, October 31, 2013. China's claims that it is fighting an Islamist insurgency in energy-rich Xinjiang - a vast area of deserts, mountains and forests geographically located in central Asia - are not new. Since 2001 - a process that started arguably even before - China has conducted a sweeping security crackdown in Xinjiang, further repressing Uighur culture, religious tradition and language, rights groups say, despite strong government denials of offering the Uighurs anything but wide-ranging freedoms.Michael Martina/Reuters
An armed paramilitary policeman gestures as he patrols with other policemen along a street in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in this June 30, 2013 file photo.CHINA STRINGER NETWORK/Reuters
A child looks out from a door as a Uighur woman walks by in a residential area in Turpan, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region October 31, 2013.Michael Martina/Reuters
A man works on a security camera that was installed at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, November 1, 2013. China's domestic security chief believes a fatal vehicle crash in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in which five died was planned by a Uighur separatist group, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and United Nations. Meng Jianzhu, a member of the 25-member Politburo responsible for domestic security, said the East Turkestan Islamic Movement was behind the attack.KIM KYUNG-HOON/Reuters
A man works on a security camera which is installed at Tiananmen Square in Beijing October 31, 2013. Chinese state media demanded severe punishment on Thursday after the government blamed militants from restive Xinjiang for an attack in Tiananmen Square, as the exiled leader of the region's Uighur minority called for an independent probe.KIM KYUNG-HOON/Reuters
A paramilitary soldier patrols near visitors posing for souvenir pictures at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, November 1, 2013.KIM KYUNG-HOON/Reuters
Workers carry out maintenance work on a statue at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, November 1, 2013. China's domestic security chief believes a fatal vehicle crash in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in which five died was planned by a Uighur separatist group, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and United Nations.KIM KYUNG-HOON/Reuters
Police cars are parked in front of a giant portrait of late Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong at the main entrance of the Forbidden City in Beijing, November 1, 2013. China's domestic security chief believes a fatal vehicle crash in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in which five died was planned by a Uighur separatist group, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and United Nations. Meng Jianzhu, a member of the 25-member Politburo responsible for domestic security, said the East Turkestan Islamic Movement was behind the attack. This is the first time Beijing has accused the group of carrying out the attack.KIM KYUNG-HOON/Reuters