China makes more arrests over Xinjiang violence

BEIJING NAMPA/AFP China has arrested more suspects over clashes in the ethnically divided region of Xinjiang last week that left 21 people dead, State media said yesterday. China blamed the violence in the western Chinese region on terrorists, but rights groups say the charge is used to justify the authorities' use of force against members of the Muslim minority. State-run broadcaster CCTV said yesterday reported that another group of terrorists has been arrested , citing senior security official Meng Hongwei and adding that police had seized weapons and flags belonging to a separatist group. The report did not say how many people had been arrested. Local authorities have said that eight members of the Uighur ethnic group were arrested in connection with last week's unrest in the region, which is often hit by violence. Chinese officials have said that 15 police officers and social workers were among the 21 killed in gun fights on April 23 in Barchuk county. Many Uighurs complain of religious and cultural repression by Chinese authorities, which rights groups identify as the source of unrest in Xinjiang. Chinese authorities and state media often blame the unrest on terrorism . The claims of terrorism are suspected of being an excuse to oppress Uighurs, Dilshat Rexit, a spokesman for the World Uyghur Congress which is run by exiled members of the minority, said in an email. He called on Chinese authorities to publish an independent investigation into their accusations of terrorism, echoing an earlier call by the United States which was dismissed by China as evidence of a double standard . Local authorities in Xinjiang have attempted to stop females from wearing full-veiled dresses, and have also prevented males from wearing long beards, notices posted on local government websites showed.