Self-immolation protestors identified as Uighurs

The three people who set themselves on fire in a car in Beijing on Wednesday were Uighurs, an ethnic group from western China, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed source familiar with the situation. The three people, who are related, had come to Beijing to petition the government over a housing dispute. State media said late Wednesday that the husband and wife, aged 59 and 58 respectively, were hospitalized with burn injuries. The husband’s injuries were said to be serious. The couple’s son, 28, was not injured and is being held in police custody, according to the unnamed source. Police stopped the family’s car for a traffic violation when the driver turned onto the Wangfujing pedestrian shopping street. The husband, who was doused in gasoline, then set himself alight. With the annual session of the National People’s Congress due to begin in Beijing next week, many citizens have flocked to the city to lodge petitions.