China Clampdown For Olympic Torch In Xinjiang: Residents, Exiles

From AFP:

China has tightened controls on Muslims in its remote west ahead of the Olympic torch’s arrival next week to thwart any actions aimed at disrupting the relay, residents and exiles said.

The measures include detaining thousands in the Xinjiang region and forcing Muslim religious officials to undergo “political education” on “protecting” the Olympics, said Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Germany-based World Uighur Congress.

With the Beijing Olympic torch expected in Xinjiang on its nationwide tour, authorities have also confiscated the passports of some Muslims, Uighurs told AFP.