Violent street battles kill dozens in China

…The clashes Sunday in Urumqi echoed last year’s unrest in Tibet, when a peaceful demonstration by monks in the capital of Lhasa erupted into riots that spread to surrounding areas, leaving at least 22 dead. The Chinese government accused Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, of orchestrating the violence

But many Chinese believe the Uighurs are backward and ungrateful for the economic development the Chinese have brought to the poor region.

Adam Grode, an American Fulbright scholar studying in Urumqi, described a heavy police and military presence in the city.