1997 Ürümqi bus bombings
On February 25, 1997, three bombs exploded on three buses (line 10, line 44, and line 2) in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China. Nine people were killed, including at least three children, and a further 28 were injured. Another two devices in the south railway station (the main station in Ürümqi) failed to explode. Steel balls, screws, and nails were found in the bombs.
| 1997 Ürümqi bus bombings | |
|---|---|
 Location of Ürümqi in Xinjiang, China | |
| Location | Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China |
| Date | February 25, 1997 |
Attack type | Bus bombing |
| Deaths | 9 (including 3 children) |
| Injured | 28 |
| Perpetrators | Uyghur separatists |
Uyghur separatists had committed the bombings. Responsibility for the attacks was claimed and acknowledged by factions of certain diaspora Uyghurs.[1][2]
Background
Continuing tensions in Xinjiang have been a source of terrorism in China. Conflicts over Uyghur cultural aspirations resurfaced during the 1960s. In early February 1997 the execution of 30 suspected separatists[3] who had been involved in the organisation of Meshrep[4] during Ramadan resulted in large demonstrations, which culminated in the Gulja incident on 5 February, in which at least nine protesters were killed.[5]
External reference
References
- Lecturer in Modern Chinese History in the Department of East Asian Studies Michael Dillon; Michael Dillon (23 October 2003). Xinjiang: China's Muslim Far Northwest. Routledge. pp. 99–. ISBN 978-1-134-36096-3.
- James A. Millward (2007). Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang. Columbia University Press. pp. 333–. ISBN 978-0-231-13924-3.
- 1997 Channel 4 (UK) news report on the incident which can be seen here
- Amnesty International Document - "China: Remember the Gulja massacre? China's crackdown on peaceful protesters", Web Action WA 003/07 AI Index: ASA 17/002/2007, Start date: 01/02/2007 "Archived copy". Retrieved 2013-05-05.
- "China Uighurs executed", BBC News, 27 January 1998
