Urumqi crawls towards normalcy as China stresses stability

September 28th, 2009 URUMQI - The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region legislature has passed a regulation prohibiting the instigation of ethnic separatist activities via the Internet, The China Daily reports. Online activities compromising national security, damaging national and social interests, undermining ethnic unity, instigating ethnic secession and harming social stability will be severely punished, according to the regulation.

September 6th, 2009 URUMQI - In the aftermath of Xinjiang riots that erupted on July 5, the party chief of Urumqi and police chief of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been sacked. According to a decision by the CPC Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Committee, Li Zhi, secretary of the Urumqi Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was replaced by Zhu Hailun.

September 6th, 2009 URUMQI - Life gradually returned to normalcy Sunday in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang region Sunday, where police have eased traffic restrictions imposed in the wake of public protests. The city had witnessed widespread protests in the past several days after many people were stabbed by syringes.

September 5th, 2009 URUMQI - The communist party chief of Xinjiang capital Urumqi and the police chief of northwest China's Xinjiang region were removed from their posts Saturday. Li Zhi, secretary of the Urumqi Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was replaced by Zhu Hailun, secretary of the CPC Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Political and Legislative Affairs Committee, according to a decision by the CPC Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Committee.

September 3rd, 2009 New protest reported in China city of UrumqiBEIJING — Witnesses report a new protest has broken out in the western Chinese city of Urumqi, which was torn by deadly ethnic rioting in July. People living near the city center reached by telephone said hundreds, possibly thousands of members of China's majority Han ethnic group had gathered downtown to denounce the regional government and deteriorating law and order in the city.

September 1st, 2009 BEIJING - China Tuesday urged the Myanmar junta to restore order and stability at their border following unrest that triggered mass exodus of Myanmarese into the Communist country. "Safeguarding the stability of the China-Myanmar border is in line with the vital interests of both governments," said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

August 10th, 2009 KABUL - A plane flying from Afghanistan to Urumqi, the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was refused permission to land after it was reported that there was a bomb onboard. The official Xinhua news agency quoted armed police sources as saying on Monday that Urumqi airport had received an order from the aviation authorities to deny the plane's landing in the city.

August 9th, 2009 China reports bomb threat on plane in XinjiangBEIJING —China's state news agency says there has been a bomb threat on a plane from Afghanistan scheduled to land in Xinjiang, the restive western region of China that was rocked by ethnic riots last month. Xinhua News Agency earlier said the incident was a hijacking.

August 3rd, 2009 URUMQI - Police in China's northwestern Xinjiang province have detained 319 more people in connection with the July 5 riots in this provincial capital. The arrests were made after the police said to have detained 1,572 people in connection with the clashes in which 197 people were killed and hundreds were injured.

July 13th, 2009 URUMQI - Police in China's restive Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have shot dead two Uighur men in an attempt to stop them killing another. According to authorities, a police team patrolling in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, saw a group of three people trying to kill a passerby.

July 10th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has said some 'elements' are trying to damage its relations with China by linking Islamabad with the unrest in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi. Addressing a weekly briefing here, Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said Pakistan would not allow nefarious elements to hamper ties between the two old allies.

July 9th, 2009 URUMQI - A senior official has warned that China will execute anyone found to be behind the 156 riot killings in the north west city of Urumqi. Sky News quoted Li Zhi, the Communist Party boss of Urumqi, as saying that the government would seek the death penalty over bloody protests in the capital of Xinjiang.

July 8th, 2009 URUMQI - Riot-hit Chinese city Urumqi appeared calm under heavy paramilitary police presence Wednesday after an overnight traffic curfew, though sporadic violence was still reported. Traffic restrictions continued to be imposed in some major streets Wednesday, with members of the Armed Police patrolling.

July 7th, 2009 BEIJING - Several hundred Uighurs staged a protest Tuesday as Chinese officials took a group of foreign journalists on a tour of Urumqi, the riot-hit capital of the far western region of Xinjiang. The protesters sat down after they were blocked by riot police, reporters in Urumqi said.

July 7th, 2009 URUMQI - Internet connectivity was cut in parts of Xinjiang's capital Urumqi following Sunday's riot to prevent violence from spreading, an official said Tuesday. "We cut Internet connection in some areas of Urumqi in order to prevent violence from spreading to other places," said Li Zhi, the Communist Party of China (CPC) chief of Urumqi.