Homes, Businesses Damaged Following Riot In Ethnically Mixed Kazakh Village

Smashed windows in homes and businesses were visible in the Kazakh village of Pidzhim a day after a riot broke out between residents. The riot was triggered by a schoolyard fight on October 27 in the ethnically mixed village near the border with China. Emotions ran high among residents summoned to a meeting on October 28 by local authorities who gave reassurances that "there was no interethnic conflict in Pidzhim." Pidzhim has a majority Kazakh population, but also a 30 percent-strong ethnic Uyghur minority.