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China arrests 319 people in unrest in Xinjiang
Chinese security officials have detained an additional 319 people whom they suspect of taking part in the unrest in the far western region of Xinjiang, the official media reported Sunday.
The arrests, according to the Xinhua news agency, came days after 253 other people were taken into custody, most of them Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking, predominately Sunni Muslim minority that the Chinese government has blamed for much of the killing last month in the city of Urumqi.
The police have not released a tally of those being held, but that figure exceeds 2,000 if the numbers published by the state news media in recent weeks are added up. Whatever the true number, the authorities have said that only a small number of those in detention will stand trial this month. Those found guilty are likely to face harsh punishment, possibly execution.