Troops patrol China city after protests kill 5

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer

URUMQI, China – Thousands of troops, backed by tanks and metal barricades, patrolled the western city of Urumqi on Saturday after five people died in protests over a series of bizarre needle attacks that China's police chief has blamed on Muslim separatists.

The hypodermic needle attacks have unnerved a population already shaken by ethnic rioting two months ago that the government said left nearly 200 people dead. Saturday marked the two-month anniversary of the rioting, the region's worst ethnic violence in decades.

Paramilitary police manned checkpoints on streets around government and Communist Party headquarters, where security forces fired tear gas Friday to disperse angry crowds of Han Chinese, the country's majority ethnic group, who say the government isn't doing enough to protect them from extremists among the native Uighur population.

Entrances to the city's Muslim quarter remained blocked by thousands of troops backed by heavy metal barricades and tanks. Traffic was barred from much of the downtown area in the city of 2.5 million, and many shops were closed.

There were no updated figures for the number of needle attacks, but unconfirmed reports of new incidents continued to spread through agitated crowds. Angry Han rushed to the southern edge of the city's central square after people said two Uighur men had attacked an 11-year-old boy. Riot police quickly cleared the area.

Following days of rumors, the needle attacks were finally officially reported on Wednesday. Urumqi Deputy Mayor Zhang Hong said Friday that 21 suspects have been detained, with four people indicted. He said all were Uighurs, while most victims were Han.

Local police said hospitals in Urumqi were treating 531 people who believed they were attacked, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Of those, 106 showed obvious signs of needle attacks, it said.

Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu said Friday the same Muslim separatists that Beijing blames for the July 5 ethnic rioting also orchestrated the syringe attacks. The government has offered no evidence to back up either claim.

Details of the deaths were few, although Zhang said Friday that all occurred on Thursday, the first day of the street protests, and resulted from "small-scale clashes." He said two of those killed were "innocent," while investigations into the other three deaths were continuing.

A report in Urumqi's Morning Post on Saturday said a "small number of people became overexcited and lost control of themselves" during Thursday's demonstrations. It said casualties included police, paramilitary troops and innocent civilians, but gave no breakdown.

While no deaths or injuries were reported Friday, the World Uyghur Congress, a German-based exile group, said Han Chinese attacked more than 10 Uighurs during the protests and tried to storm the Nanmen mosque on Friday but were stopped by authorities.

During the protests on Thursday and Friday, marchers demanded increased security and the resignation of Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary Wang Lequan, an ally of President Hu Jintao.

China has blamed the July rioting on exiled Muslim activist Rebiya Kadeer, but she has denied the charge. By most accounts, the riot started after police confronted peaceful Uighur protesters, who then attacked Han Chinese. Days later, Han vigilantes tore through Uighur neighborhoods to retaliate.

Meng vowed the government would speed up charging and prosecuting more than 1,200 people detained after the riots, in which the government says 197 people were killed and about 1,700 injured.