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Distorted reports on Xinjiang riot denounced

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-14 21:32

BEIJING: The deadly riot that killed 184 people and injured 1,680 others in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in northwest China was followed by some distorted western media reports of the July 5 events.

Those irresponsible media have been denounced by the public around the world, who prefer to believe the Chinese media, including the influential China Radio International (CRI).

Full coverage:  Riot in Urumqi Related readings:  Approaching a True Xinjiang  Xinjiang heals after riots  WSJ's biased Xinjiang riot story refuted  French tourist: 'I'll tell friends of my days in Xinjiang'  Biased Xinjiang riot coverage refuted

Roberto Carlos from the United States said he condemned the violence in Xinjiang and felt angry that many western media distorted what happened. He criticized a TV station in Florida for "damaging the image of the People's Republic of China by reports of splittism."

Khelil Abdelkader from Algeria said he was astonished by a number of distorted reports on Xinjiang in Western media.

Abdelkader, who visited China earlier this year as one of the awarded listeners of CRI, said he has had contact with Chinese minorities. He said he was impressed by their "harmonious and happy lives in the era of the Reform and Opening-up and under the government's preferential policies."

The Algerian said Western media should respect the facts and follow professional rules and morality in reporting on Xinjiang.

"I call on all media organizations to scrupulously abide by their professional requirements and refrain from doing harm to another nation's image for its selfish interests," Abdelkader said.

Idriss Booudina from Morocco said many western media have developed a skewed imagination of the riot in far western Xinjiang in order to confuse the public and defame China.

"We have our eyes and ears, and our own judgments. We believe that all Muslim are peace-loving, and we feel disgusted by those bogus Muslim who took the name of national religion  for the sake of selfish motives," Booudina said.

"They are set to be smashed by justice sooner or later," Booudina added.

Nasser Dhefeer from Egypt said he was led into grief by the riot in Xinjiang. He denounced the rioters for attemtping to destroy national unity through violence.

"I sincerely prayed that the bloody tragedy would not happen again," Dhefeer said.