[A 28 December unattributed handwritten report from the Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.]

A robbery case took place in Taiyuan [in Shanxi Province] where two Han Chinese were killed by Uighurs. The police are now on high alert. Our Centre learned that, at 4pm on Christmas afternoon on 25 December, a murder case happened on East 51 Street near the Taiyuan train station. As the three Uighurs tried to steal a woman's backpack the woman resisted and the men stabbed and killed her. Another individual, a male, came up to assist [the female victim] but was stabbed and seriously injured; he was treated at a hospital on 26 December but later died from his serious injuries. Authorities have already arrested one of the Xinjiang suspects.

The many thieves from Xinjiang who have committed robberies in Taiyuan have caused great dissatisfaction among the people. The murder of two Han Chinese by Uighurs has rattled the nerves of some local Han Chinese, and many people expressed their desire to kill Uighurs online. Given the worries over clashes between the Uighurs and Han Chinese, Taiyuan police are already on high alert. The Taiyuan 110 [emergency dispatch office] confirmed the murder case with us, but [authorities] are not able to reveal [details] on the investigation's progress as it is still underway.

Currently, the situation in Xinjiang is still very tense. After "1 October" [the PRC's National Day] there have been many announcements about the resumption of internet [service], but that has yet to happen. Since 5 July, Uighurs have been unable to access the Internet for nearly seven months now [text as recieved] and there has been great anger among the people.

Source: Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Hong Kong, in Chinese 28 Dec 09