Scary Bombing in Kunming
As some of you know, a small bomb detonated inside Salvadors' Coffee House in Kunming on Wednesday, fatally injuring one man. No one else was seriously injured, as the bomb exploded at 10:30am when there were few customers inside. The police have come but thus far a clear explanation of what happened has not emerged.
The injured man was taken to the hospital where he took responsibility both for the Salvadors bomb and the bus attacks that rocked the city in July. Evidently, he had 8,500 RMB in cash on his person and a piece of paper with nine red fingerprints scattered across it, suggesting that others may be involved.
Hopefully more details will emerge later; at the moment, the foreign community remains shaken. Salvadors is an institution here; it was one of the first--if not the first-- wholly foreign-owned food enterprise in Yunnan, and a successful, popular joint for both foreign and Chinese patrons. At lunchtime and in evenings the place is normally quite crowded, as a group of regulars sit outside on sunny days and drink coffee, tea, and beer.
I frequently go to Salvadors; in fact, for about six months I taught three of the waitresses English in exchange for unlimited food and non-alcoholic drinks. The four owners- three Americans and one Japanese- are friends of mine. Even today, with both my residence and work a fair distance away, I make time to go to Salvadors at least twice a week. I always know there will be a friend there to talk to.
Yet what makes this bombing so unnerving is the high probability that foreigners are being targeted. We're a soft target here, as most of us do not blend in with a crowd of Chinese people. Foreigners tend to cluster together and frequent the same locations, usually bars, cafes, and restaurants. Salvadors sits at the corner of two roads that constitute the heart of the foreigner neighborhood, near Yunnan University and Green Lake.
An additional hangout just four or five doors down from Salvadors is The Box, an Italian-owned pub/restaurant that specializes in pizza and gelato. Like Salvadors, The Box is popular among foreigners and has a dedicated crowd of regulars, me included. Last week, three Chinese men armed with crowbars entered the bar and smashed a table where several people were sitting. They then threatened to strike the Italian woman on duty at the time. The police were called but didn't apprehend the men; in fact, they were light-hearted and laughing. When my friend asked one of the policemen for his badge number, he was told to shut up and be careful- he didn't have his passport on his person and could be arrested.*
The next day the men came back and apologized, explaining that a foreigner had been rude to them and they wanted retaliation. They were extremely drunk at the time and regretted it. The policemen failed to show up, though apparently one did write up the incident and cited the men; they will likely be punished for it.
Has Kunming, or China, become unsafe for foreigners? Is there a movement against us, borne out of resentment at our high salaries, our loutish behavior, or our intermingling with the locals?
I've never felt unsafe in China; in fact, I've always felt it's one of the safest countries in the world for a foreigner to live in. Most of the young women I know can walk home at night alone and not feel threatened. Most of the Chinese I've met are friendly, open, and eager to meet us.
What is to be done? Most prudent people would suggest that we avoid certain places or large gatherings. But that would be giving in. Terrorism is only effective if people become frightened and alter their life patterns. The odds of being killed in an act of organized violence remains very small.
Salvadors will be closed for awhile; a month, I've heard. When it re-opens I'm sure some people will be wary. Not me, though- I'll be back for my coffee and burritos in no time.
In any event- Chris is covering this story carefully. Keep an eye on GoKunming.
UPDATE: I have just read a long note from Colin, one of the four owners of Salvadors and the one who was present at the cafe when the bombing occurred. Apparently, DNA from Salvadors matched DNA from the July bus bombing, suggesting that the bomber's confession may be legitimate. In addition, the man had a criminal record and served nine years in prison for assault. Frighteningly, the police believe the 10:30 detonation was an accident and that the bomb had intended to go off during the evening, when there would have been more people. That nobody but the bomber was injured is indeed a miracle.
December 26th, 2008 - 14:59
There are, of course, those who resent the foreign presence in their country. Every country has that sector of the population. I’d be very surprised if there was any nascent anti-foreign movement looking to employ violence to scare us off, though. I mean, this guy confessed to the bus bombings, and buses are not foreigner-rich targets in any part of China, are they?
Still have to wonder what, if any motive, inspired each of the bombings, though.
Those dicks with the crowbars are also less suggestive of some new Boxer Rebellion and more suggestive of less-than-intelligent young men with more testosterone and ethanol in their blood streams than is considered good for one’s decision-making ability. Again, every country has such people, and in every country such people will often take the easy target.
December 26th, 2008 - 15:28
no big deal … stuff happens … drop the “foreigner in china” concept as much as possible and just be a human on earth, and flow along.