Calm, rationality need of the hour

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-09 07:45

The July 5 riots in Urumqi are a big tragedy. Government efforts have restored social order now. Everyone is a victim of the violence, the Uygur ethnic minority and the Han Chinese - the entire country - because deaths and destruction ultimately harms the country.

After six decades of development, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region was like a peaceful garden until a handful of people shed innocent people's blood in the regional capital of Urumqi.

The riots were the worst since the founding of New China, claiming the highest number of lives in Xinjiang in such an incident. Xinjiang faces a historical moment. Only by taking resort to rationality and sticking to the rule of law can the people pull themselves back on the tracks.

Ethnic unity is one of the highest goals of any multi-ethnic nation. To realize this goal, China's different ethnic groups should show respect and tolerance toward each other. There has to be mutual understanding among them.

People should respect life. The innocent should never be targeted. Every person, regardless of his or her ethnicity, should aim for a higher income and a better life. And no one should incite people to violence.

We believe only a handful of people orchestrated the violence in Xinjiang and their criminal act doesn't represent the qualities of their ethnic group or religious belief.

At this critical moment, we must respect order. Everyone should maintain calm, and handle their disputes peacefully. They should believe in the government's ability to restore social order and harmony. If they don't do so, they would only be playing into the hands of criminals. Violence can only worsen matters.

It is incumbent upon members of any civilized society to believe in the rule of law. Those responsible for the deaths of the people in Urumqi will be punished, but only after proper investigations by the public security department. Everyone is equal before law. That's why family members, relatives and friends of the victims should not take the law into their hands, and instead give the government time to conduct the investigations and trust it to deliver justice .

(China Daily 07/09/2009 page9)