Kyrgyz Tighten Controls On Chinese Border
The riots have left over 150 people dead
July 08, 2009
BISHKEK (RFE/RL) -- Kyrgyzstan has tightened border controls with China after violence in China's western autonomous region of Xinjiang.
Talking to RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, Cholponbek Turusbekov, the deputy chairman of the Kyrgyz Border Guards, said that due to the recent unrest, controls at the Torugart and Erkechtam checkpoints had been stepped up.
Clashes between ethnic Uyghurs and police in Xinjiang's capital Urumchi last weekend left at least 150 dead and over 1,000 injured.
Officials say more than 1,400 people have been detained.