Terrorism In China Chronology

Terrorism In China

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_China

Chronology of major events[edit]

Following is a partial list of events that have been described as terror attacks or attempted terror attacks by non-state actors in the People's Republic of China. Due to variations in the definitions and applications of the term, the characterization of some events as terrorist attacks may be disputed. Many incidents listed occurred in Xinjiang or Tibet—areas where foreign journalists have extremely limited access, and are closely monitored if and when they gain permission to report in the regions.^[7][54] As such, many reports of violence or terror attacks cannot be confirmed independently,^[55] and foreign reporting frequently relies on information released by the government of China or in the state-run press.^[7] In several instances, conflicting narratives of these have emerged from witnesses or from diaspora groups.^[7][56]

Date	Location	Main article	Description
5 February 1992	Urumqi, Xinjiang	5 February 1992 Urumqi Bombings	Two buses exploded in Urumqi, resulting in at least 3 deaths, and 23 injured.[7] Unconfirmed reports indicated the attacks were perpetrated by the East Turkestan Islamic Party.[9] According to government documents, other bombs were discovered and defused in a local cinema and a residential building.[7]
13 January 1996	Lhasa, Tibet		Four major attacks were acknowledged, although unofficial sources reported more. The attacks generally targeted and successfully wounded people, whereas earlier bombings targeted buildings, such an obelisk on the Qinghai-Tibet highway.[57] On 13 January, a Tibetan Buddhist monk exploded a homemade bomb at a shop owned by Han Chinese.[58] Five days later on 18 January, the house of Sengchen Lobsang Gyaltsen, the head lama of thePanchen Lama's Tashilhunpo Monastery, was bombed.[59] Gyaltsen had opposed the 14th Dalai Lama to ordainGyaincain Norbu in the 11th Panchen Lama controversy. He was out of his house at the time of the explosion, but a person nearby was "seriously injured", according to the South China Morning Post.[57] No group claimed responsibility for the bombings, but China blamed forces loyal to the Dalai Lama.[59] On 18 March, a bomb exploded at the regional government and local Communist Party compound. The government temporarily shut down tourism in Tibet in response.[60] China initially denied all of the blasts, but later attributed them to separatists.[61] The final blast of the year was detonated by remote control at 1:30 am on Christmas Day, in front of the central Lhasa municipal government offices. Five people were injured, including two night watchmen and three shopkeepers.[62] The official Radio Tibet called the blast "an appalling act of terrorism", and the Chinese government offered a $120,000 reward for the perpetrator. Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous RegionGyamco called on residents to "heighten our alertness and strengthen preventive measures".[58]
27 February 1997	Urumqi, Xinjiang	Urumqi bus bombs	Bombs detonated on three buses in Urumqi, leaving nine dead and 68 seriously wounded.[7] The Uyghur Liberation Party claims responsibility for the bombings.[7]
February - April 1998	Qaghiliq, Xinjiang		A series of six explosions occurred in February and March aimed at economic and industrial targets. The following month, authorities reported that bombs exploded at homes and offices of local communist party and public security agents.[7]
16 March 2001	Shijiazhuang,Hebei	Shijiazhuang bombings	108 civilians were killed when several ANFO bombs (similar to those used by the IRA and in the 1993 World Trade Center and 1995 Oklahoma City bombings) tore through four city blocks in the city of Shijiazhang.[63] The perpetrator, 41-year-old Jin Ruchao, was allegedly motivated by hated of his ex-wife.[64] The government account was greeted with skepticism, however;[65] and some sources suggested Jin may have been a scapegoat, and that the bombings may have been the work of disgruntled former factory workers frustrated by layoffs.[66] The bombings were described in the New York Times as the deadliest mass murder in decades,[67]and was characterized by China scholar Andrew Scobell as perhaps the worst terrorist act in the history of the People's Republic of China.[16]
3 April 2002	Chengdu, Sichuan		On 3 April 2002, a bomb described as a "simple fuse device" detonated in Tianfu Square in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. According to local media reports, one individual was seriously injured, and many others were hurt in the blast. Two men were apprehended: 52-year-old Tibetan religious leader Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, and 26-year-old Lobsang Dondrub.[35] On 2 December, Rinpoche was given a two-year suspended death sentence for "causing explosions [and] inciting the separation of the state." Dondrub was also sentenced to death, and executed on 26 January 2003. The men maintained their innocence, and international observers expressed concerns over the legality of the trial.[33][36]
5 January 2007	Pamirs Plateau, Xinjiang	Xinjiang raid	Chinese police raided a suspected East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) training camp in Akto County in the Pamirs plateau near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.[68] A spokesperson for the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau said that 18 terror suspects were killed and 17 captured. The raid also resulted in the death of one Chinese police officer and the injury of another. The Bureau said they confiscated hand grenades, guns, and makeshift explosives from the site.[68]
9 March 2008	Urumqi, Xinjiang		State-run Xinhua News Agency reported that authorities had successfully foiled a terrorist attack on a commercial jet.[69] The Southern China flight departed from Urumqi, and made an emergency landing in Lanzhou while en route to Beijing. Two individuals were reportedly taken into custody after flight crew discovered flammable material in the plane's toilet.[69] Xinjiang Governor Nuer Baikeli told reporters that the perpetrators "attempted to create an air disaster," but authorities provided no further details.[70][71]
4 August 2008	Kashgar, Xinjiang	2008 Kashgar attack	Suspected ETIM militants reportedly drove a truck into a group of approximately 70 jogging policemen. According to official Chinese media accounts, they then got out of the truck wielding machetes, and lobbed grenades at the officers, killing 16 people. However, three tourists in the vicinity provided a different account of the event, saying that the attackers appeared to be uniformed paramilitary police officers attacking other officers with machetes.[56]
10 August 2008	Kuqa County, Xinjiang		Xinhua reported that seven men armed with homemade explosives reportedly drove taxis into government buildings, in Kuqa, Xinjiang, injuring at least two police officers and a security guard. Five of the assailants were shot and killed.[72][73] The attacks began at 2:30 am when five assailants drove taxis into the local public securityand industry and commerce buildings.[73] The Communist Party chief in Xinjiang called the attack a "terrorist act" and suspected the ETIM was responsible.[74]
12 August 2008	Yamanya, Xinjiang		Chinese media reported that three security officers were allegedly killed in a stabbing incident in Yamanya, nearKashgar in Xinjiang.[55] The report did not specify what the attacker’s affiliations were.[55]
19 August 2010	Aksu, Xinjiang	2010 Aksu bombing	According to Chinese media reports, six ethnic Uyghur men were allegedly involved in loading a vehicle with explosives and driving into a group of security officers at a highway intersection near Aksu, Xinjiang. Seven people, including two attackers, were killed, according to police.[10] In the wake of the attack, authorities in the region vowed to crack down "relentlessly" on criminal activity.[75]
18 July 2011	Hotan, Xinjiang	2011 Hotan attack	Chinese media reported that 18 people died when 18 young Uyghur men stormed a police station in the city of Hotan. The men were alleged to have stabbed a security guard and two female hostages, and killed another security guard with a bomb. The attack ended when security officers shot and killed 14 of the attackers. Chinese media initially referred to the attackers as rioters or thugs, though subsequent accounts called the event a terrorist attack.[11] The Germany-based World Uyghur Congress provided a different accounts of event, saying that authorities provoked clashes by opening fire on Uyghurs participating in a non-violent protest against heavy-handed security crackdowns in the city.[11][76] The Turkistan Islamic Party later claimed responsibility for the attack.[12]
30–31 July 2011	Kashgar, Xinjiang	2011 Kashgar attacks	At least 18 people died in a series of alleged terrorist attacks in the city of Kashgar. According to state-run media accounts, the violence began when two Uyghur men hijacked a truck, ran it into a crowded street, and started stabbing people, killing six.[77] The attack ended when the assailants were overpowered by the crowd, which killed one attacker. On the second day, state-run media reported that a "group of armed terrorists" stormed a restaurant, killed the owner and a waiter, and set it ablaze. They then proceeded to indiscriminately kill four more civilians.[78]Armed clashes then reportedly ensured, ending with police capturing or killing the attackers.[79] The Turkistan Islamic Party later claimed responsibility for the attack.[12] One of the suspects appeared in a TIP video training in Pakistan.[80]
29 June 2012	Xinjiang	Tianjin Airlines Flight GS7554	Chinese official media reported that six men attempted to hijack Tianjin Airlines flight GS7554 from Hotan to Urumqi, Xinjiang. The men reportedly sought to gain access to cockpit ten minutes after takeoff, but were stopped by passengers and crew. A spokesperson for the Xinjiang government said the men were ethnic Uyghurs.[81]Xinhua reported at least 10 passengers and crew were injured when six hijackers tried to take control of the aircraft.[82] The World Uyghur Congress contested the official account of events, claiming instead that a dispute over seating broke out between Uyghurs and ethnic Han. The WUC suggested the event was being used as a pretext to "reinforce repression" in Xinjiang.[83]
24 April 2013	Xinjiang	2013 Xinjiang ethnic clashes	It was an incident of ethnic clash that took place between Muslim Uighur and Han Chinese community.As reported by BBC[84] nearly 21 people were killed in the incident including 15 police officers.
26 June 2013	Lukqun, Xinjiang		At least 35 people were killed in clashes between ethnic Uyghurs and police in the deadliest altercation in the region since 2009. Chinese official media reported that a group of 17 knife-wielding Uyghur men attacked a police station and government building. Chinese authorities pronounced the event a terrorist attack, and blamed separatists and overseas forces for fomenting tensions.[85] The World Uyghur Congress blamed the event on “continued suppression and provocation” by Chinese authorities in the region.[86] Foreign media outlets were prevented from visiting the area to investigate.[87]

Terrorism In China Chronology Ninjapundit terrorism
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