Signs of normal life in heavily guarded Urumqi

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-06 20:57

Xinjiang regional governor Nur Bekri said Sunday that the regional government would send thousands of officials to communities in Urumqi to help solve grassroot disputes and maintain social order.

Qian Jun, director of Disease Control and Biological Security Office with China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences, said Sunday that among 531 victims of hypodermic syringe stabbings reported by local hospitals, 171 showed obvious signs of needle attacks.

Qian said he, along with other five medical experts from the military, had examined medical records of more than 200 victims since Friday.

Newly-inaugurated secretary of the Urumqi Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhu Hailun, said Saturday his top priority was to restore public security.

"I will lead cadres and residents of all ethnic groups in the city to conquer all difficulties, and mobilize all social forces to maintain stability," he said.

He told civil servants to go door to door to help solve grass-root disputes and allay public uneasiness.

Zhu's predecessors Li Zhi was removed from his post, along with the police chief Liu Yaohua of the regional government on Saturday.

The replacements came after the July 5 riot in Urumqi which left 197 people dead and following syringe attacks in the city that caused panic among the public.

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