East Turkestan has witnessed one of the worst killings in years this weekend amid the most violent clashes in China since Tiananmen Square in 1989. The turmoil has left 140 people dead, 800 injured and hundreds have been arrested. Sources are not clear about whether victims are Uighur demonstrators or ethnic Hans, who are in a majority in China. Large-scale immigration of ethnic Hans to Eastern Turkestan -officialy known as the Xinjiang province- has been taking place since 1949.

Protests sparked off following disputes in Guangdong -a province in South China- a week ago. Six Uighur immigrants were accused on the net of raping two girls, and a mob of ethnic Hans beating and killing two Uighur workers at a Guangdong toy factory ensued.

Demonstrations to protest against the killing of two Uighurs were called in Xinjiang province. Protests were soon attended by thousands and the police proceeded to put them down. Xinhua, the Chinese official news agency, has reported that Uighur demonstrators blocked roads and burnt down shops run by Hans. According to Xinhua, the majority of injured people in the main Urumqi hospital are ethnic Han (233 out of 291 people).

Beijing has blamed spokeswoman for the World Uighur Congress (WUC), the main Uighur organization abroad, for masterminding and instigating the riots. The accusation has been dismissed by WUC's spokewoman, who said that "it is a common practice of the Chinese government to accuse me for any unrest in East Turkestan and His Holiness the Dalai Lama for any unrest in Tibet". The organization concluded that "the failure by Chinese authorities to take any meaningful action to punish the Chinese mob for the brutal murder of Uighurs is the real cause of this protest."

Further information:

• China Daily: Death toll in Xinjiang riot rises to 140
• BBC: Scores killed in China protests