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China Police Dispel Protestors from Party HQ

A day after the fresh ethnic tension erupted in western China, police on Friday resorted to tear gas and public appeals to dispel mob marching to government and Communist Party offices to stage protest against lack of public security after a strange series of seemingly ethnically-inspired syringe attack.

Demanding increased security in the Xinjiang regional capital, hundreds of people, the Han Chinese majority in main, took to streets of the city of Urumqui for a second day.

The demonstrations were insisting on punishment to those who were behind July riots between Hand Chinese and Muslim Uighurs, and for the culprits of the recent syringe attack that, according to media, targeted prominently Han Chinese.

Hundreds of young Han Chinese men protested outside the headquarters of Xinjiang party secretary Wang Lequan – an ally of President Hu Jintao – chanting for him to step down.

Armed police marched to drive people back. After several surges, the police broke up the protestors, some of whom were singing the national anthem. The official Xinhua News Agency said that tear gas had been used to break crowd.

The security forces did not appear to be using excess force, but armed police seized video and cameras from cameramen and photographers from The Associated Press covering the protest.

The protests have thrown the city of 2.5 million into confusion, with vehicles banned from streets and almost all shops and schools closed. Wang spoke to protesters Thursday to call for restraint.

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