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The official Xinhua News Agency said 137 of the victims belonged to the dominant Han ethnic group. The rest included 45 men and one woman who were Uighurs, and one man of the Hui Muslim ethnic group, the report said, citing the information office of the regional government.
The previous death toll was 156. Xinhua gave no details on the newly reported deaths, including whether any were from Tuesday, when Han men seeking revenge for the original Uighur-led protest that turned violent marched through the streets with clubs and cleavers, trying to push past police guarding minority neighborhoods.
Nearly a week after the rioting began, paramilitary police carrying automatic weapons and riot shields blocked some roads leading to the largely Muslim Uighur district of the city Saturday, and groups of 30 marched along the road chanting slogans encouraging ethnic unity.
Some shops were still closed, and a police van blared public announcements in the Uighur language urging residents to oppose activist Rebiya Kadeer, a 62-year-old Uighur businesswoman who lives in exile in the U.S., whom China says instigated the riots. She has denied it.
Protests continued Friday after a petite Muslim woman began complaining that the public washrooms were closed at a crowded mosque — the most important day of the week for Islamic worship. Muslims perform required ablutions, or washing, before prayer.
When a group gathered around her on the sidewalk, Madina Ahtam then railed against communist rule in Xinjiang.
The 26-year-old businesswoman eventually led the crowd of mostly men in a fist-pumping street march that was quickly blocked by riot police, some with automatic rifles pointed at the protesters.
Women have been on the front line in Urumqi partly because more than 1,400 men in the Muslim Uighur minority have been rounded up by police since ethnic rioting broke out July 5. As the communist government launches a sweeping security crackdown, the women have faced down troops, led protests and risked arrest by speaking out against police tactics they believe are excessive.
The violence came as the Uighurs were protesting the June 25 deaths of Uighur factory workers in a brawl in southern China. The crowd then scattered throughout Urumqi, attacking Han Chinese, burning cars and smashing windows.
Many Uighurs who are still free live in fear of being arrested for any act of dissent.
Thousands of Chinese troops have flooded into Urumqi to separate the feuding ethnic groups, and a senior Communist Party official vowed to execute those guilty of murder in the rioting.
A report in the Urumqi Evening News on Friday said police had caught 190 suspects in four raids the day before.
In many Uighur neighborhoods during the crisis in Urumqi, the women did much of the talking with reporters as the men gathered in small groups on street corners and in back alleys, speaking quietly among themselves.
"I can't speak freely. The police could come any minute and haul me away," said a Uighur man who would only identify himself as Alim.
But on Friday, some men challenged officials when they showed up for prayers at Urumqi's popular White Mosque and found the gate closed. Officials had earlier said the mosque would be closed for public safety reasons as security forces tried to pacify the capital.
The mosque was eventually opened when the crowd swelled and there was a threat of unrest, police said.
Most Muslim Uighurs practice a moderate form of Sunni Islam or follow the mystical Sufism tradition. The women often work and lead an active social life outside the home. Many wear brightly colored head scarves but the custom is not strongly enforced. Young Uighur women often wear jeans, formfitting tops and dresses.
As the faithful streamed into the White Mosque, Ahtam arrived holding a lilac umbrella and told foreign reporters in broken English, "Toilet no open. No water."
She led reporters to an area where the faithful are supposed to cleanse themselves before prayers and said with tears running down her cheeks, "Washing room not open. Everybody no wash."
After the prayers, she continued speaking on the sidewalk and attracted about 40 people who applauded when she criticized the government.
"Every Uighur people are afraid. Do you understand? We are afraid. Chinese people are very happy. Why?" said Ahtam.
The government believes the Uighurs should be grateful for Xinjiang's rapid economic development, which has brought new schools, highways, airports, railways, natural gas fields and oil wells in the sprawling, rugged Central Asian region, three times the size of Texas.
But many of the Turkic-speaking Uighurs, with a population of 9 million in Xinjiang, accuse the dominant Han ethnic group of discriminating against them and saving all the best jobs for themselves. Many also say the Communist Party is repressive and tries to snuff out their Islamic faith, language and culture.
As Ahtam's crowd became more agitated, about 20 riot police with clubs marched toward the group. The Uighurs pumped their fists in the air and walked down the street with Ahtam leading the pack.
About 200 more riot police arrived and cut off the group, with some of the security forces kneeling down and pointing their automatic rifles at the marchers. Foreign reporters were led to a side alley, out of view of the protesters, who were forced to squat on the sidewalk along a row of shuttered shops.
Hours later, calls to Ahtam's cell phone went unanswered and it was unknown what happened to her.
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When so many Hindus are being killed in Australia, it is called discrimination. When so many Christians are killed in our country, it is what? Now, when Chinese are intruding Muslim lands, all of a sudden it is fine. The western China was Muslim for over 1000 years. Where these Chinese has come from? Why did we then support Dalai Lama (CIA Agent) all these years. Let China have Tibet. What is the big deal then. The nation will never prosper if that nation do not take the stand on the principals.
So, we should be happy that China has killed thousands of Hindus and Buddhists in Tibet. So, we should be happy that China is claiming Himachal Pradesh to be its territory. So, some of us jumping upon the massacre of Muslims, should also jump when China extends billions to Pakistan for help. Why are we selectively appreciating China? Our hate of Muslims has destroyed our identities so much that we cannot even recognize ourselves today. Accept it. Muslims have ruled India for 1000 years with majesty and talent and skill. Muslims are ingredients of our nation. Sometimes we want to partner with west for fighting against Muslims, now all of a sudden, China has become our example. Do these stupids and idiots have ever realized how many Hindus resides in Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE the list will go on.... But these foxes and wolves have no meaning of life. They think that they are the true Bharatis....stupids.
The posting above by Mr Raj under the caption "Hope India learn(sic)is naive and shows absolute ignorance of Mr Raj on the history of nations and their minorities and the clauses, recommendations and the advice of the Human Right Charter of the UNO. Religious prejudice in India for some has become the mother of prejudices, unless and until all of us, regardless of our approach to God and culture, eradicates this disease; there is very little hope for co-existence and peace in a multi-cultural society. We should learn to consider the merits and demerits of each of the issues without generalising and with justice and righteousness.
hope india ll learn from chinese government to fight agaisnt these type of terroist peoples
Part One: The Muslims fight for independence when they reach the 50% mark is an extremely unfair comment in the case of Uighur people. Their region was 90% populated only by the Uighurs until the communist revolution deliberately planned and carried our demographic change by forcing the majority Han ( the name of the majority race in China) to move to Uighur region and settle there, Historically, geographically, culturally, linguistically the people of Uighur do not belong to China. What the writer says is 100% true in the case of Israel. Even in 1947, when a nation called Israel was formed with the approval of the UNO, the percentage of Jews in Israel did not exceed 30% and by systematic persecution and discrimination to obliterate the religious and cultural identity of the non-Jewish original inhabitants (the Palestinians who belonged to different native races such as Moabites, Hittites, and Philistines and so on).
Part Two: Mr Sam will not call this settler colonialism as fanatical when Jews trying to replace the native population. Another example is Singapore which was a Malay territory belonging to the Johore Empire ruled by a Malay Ruler. About 100 years ago, the Chinese population of Singapore consisted of about 10% and now the Overseas Chinese have carved out a separate nation, and Mr Sam does not call it Chinese fanatics Fighting for independence. To be sure, no one is suggesting a confrontation with China over this chronic issue of Uighur unless the world powers try to fish in troubled waters. After all, any relation that is not based on mutual respect is unhealthy and will not last long. Indeed, as China expects other nations to respect its expatriates or citizens living there, China, too, is expected to respect ethnic and religious minorities. These are native Chinese citizens and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
The problem with Muslims the world over seems to be that the moment they reach the magical 50% of the population they fight to seperate from the rest of the country. The next step then is to make life so difficult for non Muslims that they have to leave. We have seen this in Cyprus, Pakistan, Abkhazia, Chechnia, and elsewhere.Hope the Chinese crack down hard on these fanatics.
Communists China carries out a systematic persecution and discrimination to obliterate the religious and cultural identity of the non-Chinese ethnic community. The Chinese authorities respond to these protests with bloody repression In 1962, during the Mao Tze Tong era, tens of thousands of Uighur and Kazak people were forced to flee northern Xingjian into the former Soviet Union to escape political purges of the Cultural Revolution and China's Great Famine. In more recent years, Chinese police forces often brutally raided mosques to suppress independence movements. The repression, and harsh restrictions on freedom of religion and speech, created a volatile atmosphere among Muslims and transformed the entire region into a powder Keg. Moreover, police brutality coupled with long-suppressed grievances stemming from Chinese efforts to assimilate the Uighur Muslims, pushed many locals, especially among young generations, to support and identify with the pro-independence movements.