Urumqi, July 10: Chinese President Hu Jintao, in the wake of the worst communal bloodbath in the restive Xinjiang, has vowed to action on perpetrators of the riots that killed 156 people and cast a shadow on his pet concept of a ‘harmonious society.’
The Chinese president was also forced to skip the G-8 summit in Italy due to the occurrence of the riot.
Chairing an urgent meeting of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), soon after arriving in Beijing, Hu, who also doubles as General Secretary of the party, discussed the situation in Xinjiang in the aftermath of the riots.
Hu told the meeting that maintaining stability in oil-rich Xinjiang is the ‘most important and pressing task.’ The meeting also vowed ‘severe punishment’ for culprits, the CPC said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the situation in Urumqi, the regional capital remained restive and the troops, who were rushed to the city of 2.3 million, maintained tight vigil to prevent further riots after the violence left at least 156 people dead and over 1,000 others injured.
–Agencies