hanyulr #15, the difference is that in New Zealand Maori have opportunities for peaceful protest. They can complain to the police, they can apply political pressure, they can submit law changes to be debated in parliament, they have the Waitangi Tribunal to go to, they can do innovative peaceful protests that will catch the media's eye. Therefore there is no need for violence. When people believe that there is no justice to be had from the police or the courts, and when the media is heavily censored and controlled, then they turn to violence out of desperation.

Scott 2 #19 "Please disregard the ignorant comments of most New Zealanders here who do not understand the situation and only believe what they hear from the pretty biast media." Your language is insulting and your tone condescending and arrogant. Why are you insulting us? Moreover, the comments that are blaming China seem to me to be better written, more thought out, and to have a far more balanced view than the "blame US" comments. Therefore you come across not only as arrogant, insulting, and condescending but also foolish and wrong. That's not the way to win respect or support. If you wrote more objectively perhaps you could do so. That aside, let's look at what else you say.

"The media is biased" Yes, in some cases. Sometimes it's biased in China's favour. It's still much more open and objective than Xinhua.

"The Uighurs are terrorists" No, they're freedom fighters. They are an oppressed minority reacting violently. They were only called "terrorists" because Bush was declaring war on "terrorism" as I stated above, and he therefore had to allow it.

"First a group of them gang raped a woman and then things have escalated from there. They have no one to blame but themselves and deserve everything they get" And what are the underlying issues in the region? Does government money go to Han Chinese or Uighurs? Is the schooling the same for Uighurs and Chinese? Has there been ANY economic unfairness and disparities? Does the Chinese government respect the Uighur's religion? Is there any discrimination in the area, by national or local government, by police, by the general populace? If there is a dispute between a Uighur and a Han Chinese, who is more likely to win? Why? It most certainly didn't happen because of the gang rape of a woman. At the most that would be a catalyst for underlying tension.

"New Zealand would bode well from taking a page out of China's books, some minoritys in New Zealand need to be put back in to their place..." That show how little understanding and respect you have for our history and our culture. Besides which, why would we want to encourage violent protests? We've been there, done that, and it created far more problems than it solved.

Travis, this was at a time whent he Uighurs were not terrorists.

We along with America supported the Taliban and the Mujhidean (sp? mental block haha) when the Russians went into Afghanistan and then deserted them hence why we have the current situation we have now.

Sure New Zealand didnt provide direct support / Aid for the Uighurs or the Taliban however we had contact with them and I believe a SIS agent was even a go between for the CIA and the Uighers in Xinhua back in the 1980's.

So yes we did have direct contact, aid / support cant comment on that as I dont know as far as im aware we didnt.

But I find it funny you want me to provide evidence, I mean like anyone in the public could just 'find' evidence of what the SIS do internationally...

Scott 2

Are you implying New Zealand supports/aids terrorist groups if so please provide evidence to back this up. Or is this just some fairytale you just concocted?

To the Chinese posting here.

Please disregard the ignorant comments of most New Zealanders here who do not understand the situation and only believe what they hear from the pretty biast media.

Ignorant New Zealanders

The Uighurs are terrorists who are organised, have had links to western intelligence agency's (including New Zealands) before the Bush administration came to power and possibly still do. First a group of them gang raped a woman and then things have escalated from there. They have no one to blame but themselves and deserve everything they get, China must crack down on civil unrest before it sparks further unrest in other parts of the country, regardless other countries should not be meddling in China's internal affairs.

New Zealand would bode well from taking a page out of China's books, some minoritys in New Zealand need to be put back in to their place...

I wonder if some of the comments here are from CHICOM spammers trolling the internet forcing their propaganda upon us. I have previously encounter them on military forums I belong to. They have to pay the bills somehow I guess.

China is always a devil. End of Story.

Let's all sing it like a song: China is always a devil. Dont ask why. Just believe it.

FYI

Accounts from Urumqi (from BBS World News)http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8138709.stm

Peter is an English teacher living in Urumqi with his Chinese wife. They were out shopping on Sunday when the violence started.

The protesters' route was blocked by the police, not in a menacing way, just as if to make it clear that they could go no further. The protesters stopped about 30m away for a few minutes, and then without warning some of them came forward and started throwing rocks at the police.

The police tolerated this for maybe a couple of minutes, and when it became clear the throwing of stones wouldn't stop, they charged.

I have to say that the police dealt with the matter the same way our own riot police would. They were not excessively violent, nor did they attack unprovoked.

It was scary to watch all this kick off so close to where we were. Having managed to read your reports via my mobile phone (using services that are not blocked) I am amused that these overseas Chinese are trying to make political capital out of this, when, from what I witnessed, it was the protesters who brought this on themselves by attacking the police. Or maybe this was what they wanted all along?

if a group of maori go out on street attack whiteman,and kill 150 whiteman then said:because whiteman steal their land,and their are rich as unfair policy.is it resonable?what action should newzealand police force need to do?just watch maori beat their brother ass or kick a 6 years old childen to die?pls answer my question

Did Stuff.com report how the Uighurs terrorist attach Han and Hui Chinese ??

NO, Stuff.com did not! Why ?

How can Brian talk such rubbish,, i suppose he is living in NZ where there is free press, and open internet,,, and not the state run crap that "Xinhua" feeds out to the people in china,,this is just another example of chinese govt reaction to freedom of speech and protest.. Next they will be blaming the Dalhai lama in Tibet,, or Ah Bien in Taiwan,, instead of some 78 yr old mother of 12 in USA