Uygurs in Beijing feel the chill after deadly Kunming knife attack
Members of ethnic minority living in Beijing say life has grown more difficult following the Kunming rampage, and some plan to move abroad
Reverberations from the Kunming attack nearly two weeks ago are being felt thousands of kilometres away in Beijing, where Uygurs say they face stricter identity checks and worry about their prospects.
"I was told by municipal officials I can no longer sell pancakes near the national library after the Kunming attack happened," said a middle-aged Uygur man, who runs a stall outside the Haidian mosque.
He moved his small business, and has tried to keep a low profile, he said. "I sell fewer pancakes these days. Friends and family warned me not to go out to avoid police checks."
Tensions between Han and the mostly Muslim Uygur minority have intensified since five assailants killed 29 people and injured more than 140 others in an attack in the Yunnan capital. The government has said it was carried out by Xinjiang separatists, although it has not blamed Uygurs specifically.
Zhu Weiqun , the chairman of the ethnic and religious affairs panel of the top advisory body to parliament, sought to drive home the distinction, telling the : "Most Uygurs are with us in the fight against separatism and violent terrorism."
