Two Days For US To Acknowledge Kunming Attack Might Be Terrorists

Two Days For US To Acknowledge Kunming Attack Might Be Terrorists

tags Timeline 2014
main: Kunming China Terrorist Train Station Stabbing Attack

March 3, 2014 Two Days For US To Acknowledge Kunming Attack Might Be Terrorists The United States does not acknowledge that the Kunming attack is a terrorist act until Monday, two days after the Saturday attack, and still refused to consider the Beijing jeep attack to be the work of terrorists. It was only upon prodding by a Chinese reporter from Hong Kong who asked what the State Department would consider a terrorist attack. The reply was "based on the information reported by the Chinese media, this appears to be an act of terrorism, targeting random members of the public. So we are calling this an act of terrorism." When asked why the US declined to call the Jeep attack at Tiananmen square a terrorist attack, the reply was that they had "no new information" on that case.

Sources

http://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/?p=22108
China has desperately trying to place the attacks in the wider context of the Global War on Terror – anything to deflect attention from the criticism of the government, and therefore the party, inherent in the actions of the attackers. In this, China has had little support. In particular, the USA – usually the first to see terrorists under the bed – had to be cajoled into acknowledging that the Kunming attack “appears to be an act of terrorism”.

1. 1. 
      

      After Prodding, US State Department Labels Kunming Attack 'Terrorism'

      New York Times (blog) ‎- 4 days ago

      After Prodding, U.S. State Department Labels Kunming Attack ...this appears to be an act of terrorism targeting random members of the public.
   2. 
      
   1. After the killing of 29 people by knife-wielding attackers in a Kunming train station Saturday, articles in the Chinese state news media accused overseas news agencies of failing to label the attack as terrorism. There was also criticism of some foreign governments who were said to have failed, or been slow, to label violent attacks in China as terrorism, when they might do so quickly at home.

      On Monday, a State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, broke that particular logjam, at least as far as the United States was concerned, when she said at a regular news briefing, “So we are calling this an act of terrorism.”

      She did require some prodding. Asked for comment, Ms. Psaki had initially said:

      Well, we acknowledge that China has characterized the incident as a terror act. We extend our condolences for the loss of life. We of course oppose terrorism in all of its forms, and based on the information reported by the Chinese media, this appears to be an act of terrorism targeting random members of the public. 

      Bingru Wang, of Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV, which is considered friendly to the Beijing government. Ms. Wang asked what the State Department would consider a terrorist attack, which elicited Ms. Psaki’s statement that:

      Well, as I mentioned, based on the information reported by the Chinese media, this appears to be an act of terrorism, targeting random members of the public. So we are calling this an act of terrorism.

      Ms. Wang then drew parallels between the United States government’s response to the bombing at the Boston Marathon last year — when three people died, including a Chinese citizen — and its reaction to the Kunming attack:

      So when the Boston bombing took place in U.S. last year, you described it as coward act of terrorism. And then there was this attack in Russia last year, you also condemned it as terrorist attack. So this time, when it comes to China, 29 innocent people died. Why, at the first time, the first day, you didn’t — the statement of U.S. Embassy in China, they didn’t describe this as a terror attack?

      Ms. Psaki said:

      I don’t have anything to outline for you there other than to convey to you that, of course, we look at every situation separately, and depending on information available. And again, I think I’ve been pretty clear that based on the information available, this appears to be an act of terrorism targeting random members of the public.

   asked why the State Department did not label as a “terrorist act” the case last year involving three people who the Chinese government said were terrorists from Xinjiang and who drove a car into a crowd of passers-by near Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Five people, including the assailants, died, and dozens of others were injured.

   Said Ms. Psaki:

   I don’t have anything new to tell you about that specific case. 

   1. US says Kunming attack is 'act of terrorism'

      BBC News‎ - 4 days ago
   2. Int'l condemnation grows in wake of Kunming terror attack

      Xinhua‎ - 4 days ago

2. BBC News - US says Kunming attack is 'act of terrorism'

   www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-26414018‎
   

   
   

   4 days ago - Saturday's attack at Kunming station killed 29 people and injured more ...the violence in Kunming "appears to be an act of terrorism targeting  ...

3. U.S. Calls Kunming Attack "An Act of Terrorism" - CRIENGLISH.com

   english.cri.cn/6966/2014/03/.../191s815637.ht...‎
   

   
   

   China Radio International

   5 days ago - The United States calls an attack in China's Kunming "an act of ... thisappears to be an act of terrorism targeting random members of the public,  ...

4. Kunming: A New Phase of Terrorism in China | The Diplomat

   thediplomat.com/.../kunming-a-new-phase-of-terrorism-in-...‎
   

   
   

   The Diplomat

   3 days ago - The deadly weekend attack, which killed 29 civilians, could mark a new ...that the incident “appears to be an act of terrorism targeting random  ...

5. US calls attack in Kunming 'an act of terrorism' - World - Chinadaily ...

   www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2014.../content_17319788.ht...‎
   

   
   

   China Daily

   4 days ago - The United States calls an attack in China's Kunming an act of ... thisappears to be an act of terrorism targeting random members of the public,  ...

6. Terror attack: Dark day | The Economist

   www.economist.com/.../21598717-brutal-knife-attack-sh...‎
   

   
   

   The Economist

   15 hours ago - But the impact of the attack, on Kunming and on China, may be far-reaching. ... in the Chinese media, “it appears to be an act of terrorism”.

7. U.S. calls attack in Kunming "an act of terrorism" - Xinhua | English ...

   news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-03/04/c_133157488.htm‎
   

   
   

   5 days ago - "Based on the information reported by the Chinese media, this appears to be an act of terrorism targeting random members of the public, so we  ...
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