Xinjiang Party chief calls for avoiding ethnic conflicts amid fresh chaos

The traffic control would be imposed from 9 p.m. Tuesday to 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, said Wang, secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"It may bring some inconvenience to you, but we expect your understanding," he said.

Wang delivered his speech when fresh chaos hit Urumqi again Tuesday afternoon, nearly two days after a riot that killed 156 people and injured more than 1,000 others.

Several thousand protesters, mostly Han Chinese, marched along Youhao Street and Guangming Street toward Erdaoqiao, mainly inhabited by Uygurs, in downtown Urumqi in the afternoon.

The protesters held clubs, knives, axes, hammers and various types of tools that could be used as weapons, and shouted "protect our home, protect our family members".

They were stopped by units of the Armed Police before reaching the destination. No clashes were reported.

In his speech, Wang called for avoiding confrontation between ethnic groups in the region.

"Some Han people took to the streets in Urumqi today, disrupting social order," he said. "It is completely unnecessary."

"Neither the people of Han nor Uygur ethnicity are willing to see the Han people being attacked. It is the same the other way around. If the Han people attack the innocent Uygur people, it is also heart-breaking."

"The family members of those who were involved in the violence are innocent. We should be cool-headed and do not be fooled by the enemies," he said.

"Our targets should be the hostile forces, both at home and abroad, and criminals, rather than our own brothers and sisters of different ethnic backgrounds," said the official.

 "Unreasonable behavior will only further worsen the situation," he said, Kazinform refers to Xinhuanet.

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