A paramilitary policeman stands guard in front of the giant portrait of late Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong at the main entrance of the Forbidden City in Beijing, October 28, 2013.
The head of the People’s Liberation Army in China’s restive Xinjiang Region has been officially demoted following last week’s bloody attack in Beijing, which authorities have pinned on Islamic insurgents from the country’s western hinterlands.
In a brief statement published by the Xinjiang Daily on Sunday — and reported on in the New York Times — officials announced that General Peng Yong had been dismissed from the region’s Standing Committee.
(MORE: China paper says ‘CNN Way Out of Line’ Over Tiananmen Attack)
The general’s demotion follows the vehicular assault on Tiananmen Square seven days ago, which Beijing says was carried out by Muslim Uighurs from Xinjiang. The attack injured 40 people and killed five — the three occupants of the SUV and two tourists.
[NYT]