Xinjiang hit by more deadly violence
Official account says no members of public dead in Hotan but a resident says there were fatalities
Xinjiang suffered another violent attack yesterday, two days after deadly clashes in the region that a Beijing official labelled a terrorist act.
Thirty-five people were killed on Wednesday in Lukqun township, Shanshan county, in Turpan prefecture. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying described the clashes as a terrorist attack.
"As to who masterminded it, local people are still investigating," she said yesterday.
Wednesday's violence came ahead of the fourth anniversary of clashes in Urumqi , capital of the autonomous region, between the Han majority and Uygurs that left nearly 200 people dead.
An exiled Uygur activist said Wednesday's violence started when police raided homes.
Dilxadi Raxiti, spokesman for the Germany-based World Uygur Congress, said residents in Lukqun had also been prevented from entering mosques for Friday prayers.
Information about yesterday's attack was sketchy, with conflicting reports from residents and official media.