Complete the following sentence: During the unrest, previously unknown pro-independence and annexationist groups like the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC) became sources for foreign media of unconfirmed allegations of tensions, leading China to criticize overseas groups who it says are "trying to play up this incident for ulterior motives". Initial Western media reports described the protests as "ethnic unrest" and likened them to the 2008 Tibetan unrest and the 2008 Tibetan uprising.
July 2009 Ürümqi riots, but the director of SMHRIC said that the protests were focused on legal rights for herders, and that they "did not mention higher autonomy or independence".<unk> ️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️<unk>️