150 Chinese die in ethnic clashes in Henan province

Of course, it’s not being reported in China.

Violent clashes between members of the Muslim Hui ethnic group and the majority Han group left nearly 150 people dead and forced authorities to declare martial law in a section of Henan Province in central China, journalists and witnesses in the region said today.

The fighting flared late last week and continued into the weekend after a Hui taxi driver fatally struck a 6-year-old Han girl, prompting recriminations between different ethnic groups in neighboring villages, these people said.

One person who was briefed on the incident by the police said that 148 people had been killed, including 18 police officers sent to quell the violence.

Chinese media have reported nothing about unrest in Henan. But a news blackout would not be unusual, as propaganda authorities routinely suppress information about ethnic tensions.

When you read about the underlying causes, mostly economic, you can’t help but wonder if this isn’t a sign of many more such clashes to come. As the quality of life for the Han Chinese improves, little of the new prosperity reachces the Moslems.

Update: Boy, I am prescient! More on the trend toward more frequent and more violent protests here. (Requires registration, sorry.)

Update 2: It seems the death toll was far, far less than 150. More like 7. Where did the Times get that number??

The Discussion: 11 Comments

Asia by Blog

Asia by Blog is a twice weekly feature, posted on Monday and Thursday, providing links to Asian blogs and their views on the news in this fascinating region.

This edition contains the consequences of unpaid wages in China, an American nuclear scientis…

October 31, 2004 @ 10:58 pm | Comment

The BBC says it’s been reported than only 5 have died in total. But more to the point, why on earth is no one reporting what is going on in Sichuan, with 100,000 farmers and students battling the police over unaccountability and compensation following evictions for a hydroelectric power station? My girlfriend’s jaw dropped as she read it on the Chinese site that allows us to get around the government’s blocking of sites:

±©Á¦²ðǨ ËÄ´¨Ê®ÍòÅ©Ãñ±©¶¯ ´«¶àÈËËÀÉË — ´ó¼ÍÔª±¨µÀ

ËÄ´¨ººÔ´ÕýÔÚ·¢ÉúÖй²½¨¹úÒÔÀ´×î´óµÄÃñÖÚ¼¯Ìå³å»÷Õþ¸®Ê¼þ¡£Òò²»ÂúÕþ¸®Ç¿ÖƲðǨºÍ¹ÙÔ±ºÚÏä×÷Òµ£¬ËÄ´¨ººÔ´ÏØÊýÍòÅ©Ãñµ½´ó¶ÉºÓÆÙ²¼¹µµçÕ¾¾²×ø£¬×èÖ¹´ó°Ó½ØÁ÷£¬ÓëÎ侯³åÍ»ÖÐÓÐÅ©Ãñ±»´òËÀ£¬¶àÈËÊÜÉË£»·ßÅ­µÄÅ©ÃñºÍµ±µØѧÉú¾ÙÐнüÊ®ÍòÈËÓÎÐÐʾÍþ£¬³å»÷ÏØÕþ¸®¡£µØ·½Õþ¸®½ô¼±µ÷¶¯ÍòÃûÎ侯°üΧººÔ´£¬ÔÙ´ÎÒý·¢ÑÏÖؾ¯Ãñ³åÍ»£¬¾Ý´«ÓжàÈËËÀÍö£¬ÊýÈËÖØÉË¡£

November 1, 2004 @ 6:18 am | Comment

Keir, never heard a word about that….

November 1, 2004 @ 6:19 am | Comment

Precursor To Revolution Or Devolution?

Richard TPD offers some conflicting reports about deadly clashes in Henan. Although the numbers of persons involved on both sides differ, all accounts point to the picture of a situation where a few ordinary accidents sparked an almost cathartic explos…

November 1, 2004 @ 10:05 pm | Comment

Internal disharmony

In yesterday’s Asia by Blog I linked to a piece by Richard on the clashes in Henan province. Via Enzo comes this article that China imposed martial law to control the situation, and they’ve imposed a military blockade and news blockout as well. The fig…

November 2, 2004 @ 1:57 am | Comment

I AM A STUDENT OF HAN YUAN SI CHUAN ,WHERE YOU THINK IR BLOCKING.BUT DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT?

November 9, 2004 @ 2:37 am | Comment

The Peking Duck – Comment on 150 Chinese die in ethnic clashes in Henan province
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3970611.stm. Posted … ±©Á¦²ðǨ ËÄ´¨Ê®ÍòÅ©Ãñ±©¶¯ ´«¶àÈËËÀÉË — ´ó¼ÍÔª±¨µÀ. ËÄ´¨ººÔ´ÕýÔÚ·¢ÉúÖй²½¨¹úÒÔÀ´×î´óµÄÃñÖÚ¼¯Ìå³å»÷ … µØ·½Õþ¸®½ô¼±µ÷¶¯ÍòÃûÎ侯°üΧººÔ´,ÔÙ´ÎÒý·¢ÑÏÖؾ¯Ãñ³åÍ»,¾Ý´«ÓжàÈËËÀÍö,ÊýÈË …

November 9, 2004 @ 8:12 am | Comment

The Peking Duck – Comment on 150 Chinese die in ethnic clashes in Henan province
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3970611.stm. Posted … ±©Á¦²ðǨ ËÄ´¨Ê®ÍòÅ©Ãñ±©¶¯ ´«¶àÈËËÀÉË — ´ó¼ÍÔª±¨µÀ. ËÄ´¨ººÔ´ÕýÔÚ·¢ÉúÖй²½¨¹úÒÔÀ´×î´óµÄÃñÖÚ¼¯Ìå³å»÷ … µØ·½Õþ¸®½ô¼±µ÷¶¯ÍòÃûÎ侯°üΧººÔ´,ÔÙ´ÎÒý·¢ÑÏÖؾ¯Ãñ³åÍ»,¾Ý´«ÓжàÈËËÀÍö,ÊýÈË …

November 9, 2004 @ 8:12 am | Comment

Muslims don’t deserve any wealth. Anyone who professes to be “God’s people” and continues to blunder through life as a bottom-feeding moron with no drive or desire to improve their own lot deserves all the poverty they can handle. Muslims are insane. Muslims are retarded. Muslims are proof that evolution doesn’t work for everyone. Here’s to America continuing to dominate the world far, far, far into the future. Without America, the rest of the world would revert to their true monkey forms.

April 16, 2005 @ 1:01 am | Comment

The muslims are in for a long hard ride. I will be very surprised if any come out of the current situation alive.
If we aren’t targeting the dirtbags, they target themselves.
The muslims are going to be extinct.

LONG LIVE JEWS AND CHRISTIANS!

February 5, 2006 @ 11:13 am | Comment

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