Ma Weihong's 6-year-old son was with her when she was attacked by rioters in Urumqi on Sunday July 5. Ma's husband sits silently at her bedside, unable to take in what has happened to his family. [John Sexton, China.org.cn]

 

Although Ma Weihong's six year old son is not old enough to grasp just how serious his mother's injuries are, he has clearly been traumatized. Alternately playful and close to tears, it was heart-rending to see him posing for the press cameras.

Ma was attacked by a group of rioters as she was shopping for the family supper. She was kicked to the ground, then beaten and stabbed by five or six men. Her teeth were broken and her face is swollen to twice its normal size, but she is mainly thankful that the rioters spared her son.

Ma's husband sits in shocked silence by her bedside, seemingly unable to come to terms with what has happened to his family.

Dr. Yuan Hong has worked in Urumqi's People's Hospital for 27 years. When victims from Sunday's riots began to arrive at the hospital, he was horrified by injuries they had suffered. He still cannot come to terms with the senseless violence of the past few days. [John Sexton, China.org.cn]

 

Dr. Yuan Hong, head of the Intensive Care Department, has worked in Urumqi's People's Hospital for 27 years. He told us that when victims from Sunday's riots began to arrive at the hospital, staff of all ethnic groups, whether Kazakh, Uygur or Han, pulled together and worked as a team as usual. Dr. Yuan said he was utterly shocked by Sunday's events and still cannot quite believe what happened.

(China.org.cn July 9, 2009)