China Orders Muslims to Stay Home for Torch Relay

Beijing blames community for independence attacks
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 16, 2008 9:06 AM CDT
China Orders Muslims to Stay Home for Torch Relay
A young Uighur student in a traditional costume waits at Shanghai Stadium to see Beijing Olympic torch relay in Shanghai, China, Saturday, May 24, 2008. The Olympic torch relay in Shanghai was postponed due to a three-day mourning period for victims of the earthquake that killed more than 50,000.    (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Chinese officials have told China's Muslim Uighur to stay in their homes and watch the Olympic torch on TV when it winds its way through the troubled western region of Xinjiang, Reuters reports. Beijing blames the Uighur for a series of attacks that are part of a push for an independent state.

"Considering that too many people will cause a lack of safety, we are recommending that everyone watches on the television from home," a Communist Party boss was quoted as saying. (More China stories.)

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