China to issue arrest warrants for Xinjiang riots; Companies aid families of riot victims

The unrest — the worst ethnic violence China has seen in decades — began July 5 in Urumqi with a protest by Muslim Uyghurs that spiraled into violence against Han Chinese, in which people were beaten and cars and buildings burned. In subsequent days, roaming groups of Han Chinese launched revenge attacks.

"The arrest warrants will be issued soon," Hamsi Mamuti, the top prosecutor for Xinjiang, was quoted as saying by the official China News Service. "The violent elements will be severely punished according to the law. The entire process will be strictly based on the law."

Meanwhile, paramilitary forces withdrew from most of their positions in the Uyghur district of Xinjiang's capital Urumqi on Thursday for the first time since the unrest.

A command centre in front of Urumqi's Grand Bazaar was dismantled, allowing stores to open for the first time since July 5, when the city experienced the worst ethnic violence in China in decades. However, paramilitary forces did not leave the district completely, maintaining barricades to prevent vehicles from entering some roads.

Sixty-six state-owned enterprises in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region donated 170 million yuan (24 million U.S. dollars) on Thursday for the families of victims of the July 5 violence in the regional capital Urumqi. 

The donations came SOEs with headquarters or branches in Xinjiang, including the mining and energy giant Shenhua Group, Baosteel Group Co. and COFCO, the country's largest oils and food trader, according to the regional state-owned assets supervision and administration commission.