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Top officials removed in Urumqi

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-09-07 11:26

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Two top officials in Xinjiang have been removed from their posts.

The removals come shortly after tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest syringe attacks in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and to demand security guarantees last week.

Five people have died and at least 14 people have been hospitalized from injuries in the protest, which followed the deadly July 5 riot.

On Saturday, Li Zhi, the Party chief of Urumqi, was replaced by Zhu Hailun, former secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Xinjiang autonomous regional political and legislative affairs committee. Liu Yaohua, the police chief of Xinjiang, was replaced by Zhu Changjie, former Party chief of Xinjiang's Aksu prefecture.Chinese medical experts on Saturday ruled out the possibility that radioactive substances, anthrax or toxic chemicals were used in the syringe attacks.

By last Thursday, local hospitals had dealt with 531 victims of hypodermic syringe stabbings, 106 of whom showed obvious signs of needle attacks.

Qian Jun, director of the disease control and biological security office with China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences, said he had examined the records of more than 200 victims since Friday. Five other medical experts from the military also examined the records and samples had been sent to Beijing for further tests.

"So far, no evidence showed they had contracted diseases related to radioactive substances, anthrax, toxic chemicals, microorganisms, hepatitis A, hepatitis B or AIDS," he said.

Xinjiang police captured 25 suspects in the syringe scare, of whom seven are in police custody. Four were arrested and four others have been prosecuted for endangering public security, the local procuratorate said on Saturday.

Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu, who is overseeing security work in Xinjiang, said the situation in Urumqi is under control.

He also said the syringe attacks were a continuation of the July 5 incident in the city, which saw nearly 200 people killed.

Syringe attackers who triggered the latest Urumqi unrest will be given harsh punishment in accordance with the law, said a notice jointly released by city's court, prosecutor’s office and police department yesterday.

Those who stabbed others with syringe needles containing poisonous or harmful substances or contaminated by drug users may be sentenced to three years and more in prison, life imprisonment, or even death, if convicted.

Police have eased traffic restrictions in the wake of public protests but security in the city remains heavy.

Hundreds of armed police could be seen in People's Square. And police were still blocking Xinmin Road, which leads to the southern part of the city, an area densely populated by Uygur people.

The city's downtown has returned to normal. Tianshan Shopping Mall and Carrefour on Jiefang Road were thronged with crowds, while public security staff demanded passersby open their bags for security checks.

About the broadcaster:

Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move