– BEIJING
At least 12 people were killed in a number of violent incidents Xinjiang region of China, Chinese state media said on Saturday.
Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday that two blasts in Uighur town of Xinhe Aksu killed one person and injured two on Friday.
Another two were killed when a car exploded in Uighur.
Officials in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan said another 11 ethnic Uighur men from Xinjiang were shot dead while crossing the border from China.
Nine were killed by a Kyrgyz border guard unit, while two others were shot by a local hunter, officials added.
The Munich-based World Uighur Congress has called for a “full, transparent and independent” investigation into the killings.
According to a news portal run by the regional Communist Party, attackers threw explosives at police in Xinhe county which triggered a clash resulting in the police shooting dead six people.
Xinjiang has been witnessing a number of clashes in recent months triggered by the resentment felt by minority Uighurs who state they are discriminated against by Chinese majority Han people.
The government has responded by cracking down on what it says is terrorism caused by radical Islamic separatists.
– AGENCIES
