19 Dec, 2009, Cambodia

A group of around 20 Chinese Uighurs who fled to Cambodia after the ethnic riots in region of China’s Urumqi in July will be expelled. They had to be expelled because they did the mistake of entering Cambodia illegally.

This decision follows the intense pressure by China that has referred to the group as the criminals. The Human rights groups said that the group is expected to face persecution if returned to China. Approximately 200 people were died in summer violence. The Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman, Koy Kuong said that he can’t say where they will be sent but their final destination will be China, the place where they had come from.

In the violence in July, many shops were smashed and vehicles set alight and passers-by have set upon by the Uighur rioters in the city, whose population is mostly from China’s dominant Han group. The Groups of Han later went looking for revenge as the police struggled to restore the order.

Most of the people who were killed in the unrest were Han and Urumqi’s Han population had demanded the swift justice. Twelve people were sentenced to death after riots. The Tensions between Muslim Uighurs of Xinjiang and Han have been growing in these recent years. Many Uighurs also want more autonomy as well as rights for their culture and religion than is allowed by the Beijing’s strict rule.