Urumqi steps up security measures

After the July 5 riot in Urumqi, the government calls for efforts to restore order in Xinjiang.

The government is taking measures to stabilize the situation and curb increased violence in Urumqi.

Xinjiang authorities declared a traffic curfew in the regional capital from 9 pm last night to 8 am today as part of heightened measures to quell escalating violence.

Chinese people of all ethnicities condemned violence in Xinjiang, agreeing that people should unite with their brothers and sisters of different ethnic groups against hostile forces.

"Uygurs are well known for their hospitality. Those rioters are not representatives of the Uygur people," said Abudurekefu Akhond, member of the standing committee of the China Islamic Association, at a press conference on Tuesday.

Locals expressed their hope of return to a normal life after the riot.

In the Netherlands and Germany, Chinese embassies were attacked by mobs that included people demanding an independent "Eastern Turkestan" on July 6, the day after the riot in Urumqi.

China soon condemned the attack while Dutch authorities "deplored" the incident according to a spokesperson of the Netherlands embassy in Beijing.

At least 156 people were killed during the riot Sunday evening in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. More than 1,000 others were injured.

Editor: Zhou Shanshan | Video source:cctv.com