Authorities in northwest China's Xinjiang reiterated Monday syringe attackers "must" be given punishment while an overnight traffic control was implemented in the regional capital of Urumqi despite signs of recovery after assaults caused scare among residents and triggered mass protests.

The Public Security Department of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region vowed in a public notice late Monday to protect residents and maintain social order.

The pledge followed a joint notice on Sunday of the court, prosecutor's office and police bureau of Urumqi, which said an attacker may face life sentence or even death penalty if he has caused grave consequence.

Those who stab to hurt others, whatever means they use, are considered to have committed crimes and "must" be punished according to law, said Monday's notice of the regional Public Security Department.

The department said those who pretend to suffer syringe attacks and cause terrors among the public will also face punishment.

The notice urged all organizations, companies and communities to educate their employees and residents to shoulder the responsibilities of "consciously" helping maintain social order.

Any citizen can bring to police suspects who are committing syringe attacks or fleeing from the scene, the notice said. But it prohibited beating suspects.

The department also warned the public not to instigate ethnic conflicts.

Police have caught 45 suspects amid the syringe scare, of whom 12 are in police custody. The procuratorate has approved the arrests of four. Eight people have been sent for forced isolation of drugs, according to Urumqi police authorities.

Police received 77 reports of attacks between 5 p.m. Sunday and5 p.m. Monday in Urumqi.

Previously, authorities said local hospitals had dealt with 531victims of hypodermic syringe stabbings by Thursday, 106 of whom showed obvious signs of needle attacks.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Urumqi to protest against hypodermic syringe attacks and demand security guarantees last week. Five people died and at least 14 people were hospitalized for injuries during the protests.

Overnight traffic control despite recovery signs

On the first day of the week, traffic increased on Guangming Road, downtown Urumqi, and there were sporadic congestions at different crossings. Bus No. 14 was packed with commuters.

Except the side connected to the Urumqi city government compound, which was still guarded by armed police posts, the shady Nanhu Plaza was full of people.

On one stretch of the plaza, more than 60 people, mainly senior citizens, were dancing to the tune of Paso Doble, while on another a father played badminton with his teenage son.

Dozens of other senior citizens were enjoying the serenity and angling on a pond at the other side of the plaza.

Financial establishments such as outlets of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the Agricultural Bank of China, and the Urumqi Commercial Bank were all open for business Monday.

Primary and middle schools in the city, however, remained closed Monday in the wake of an outbreak of 43 A/H1N1 influenza cases. A total of 42 expert teams were sent to schools across the city to help prevent and cure the A/H1N1.

"We now feel safer after the authorities released the announcement to punish the attackers heavily," said Li Hui, a company general manager, referring to Sunday's joint notice by the city's court, procuratorate and police bureau.

"The harsh punishment is just what we residents want to guarantee our security," Li said.

The joint notice said syringe needle attackers may be sentenced to three years or more in prison, or life imprisonment and even death penalty, if convicted.

The notice has been aimed to comfort the people and deter attackers, said Ban Junlian, a construction contractor in the city.

The Urumqi municipal government, however, implemented a traffic control Monday night in the city proper's main streets. The control will last from 9 p.m. Monday to 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Most shops had been closed on main streets in north Urumqi after 9 p.m.. Only one stall was open on the night market on Hongshan Road and a few vendors were still selling fruits.

People walked fast on Xinhua Road, some women with sticks. Cars could scarcely be seen on streets and only a few buses passed by on Guangming Road with almost no passengers aboard. Almost every intersection was guarded by armed police.

Rebiya Kadeer building to be demolished

The building built and named by Rebiya Kadeer in Urumqi will be demolished as it has serious security risks, local authorities said Monday.

The building has cracks in the wall and its ground has fallen, said an official with the municipal government.

The schedule hasn't been revealed but a notice was sent to vendors in the building by the Akada Industry and Trade Company on July 22.

The building has also been considered to have fire risks by the firefighting department as wires are old and the fire exits are occupied by vendors as stores, said the official.

Although the municipal government spent a large amount of money to repair the power supply system of the building in 2006, it is still not safe, the official said.

All the vendors in the building will be compensated, the official said.

The building, with more than 500 stores in the four floors and covering 1,720 square meters, was built when Kadeer ran a business in the Erdaoqiao area and belongs to the Akada Industry and Trade Company.

Other aged buildings, including the Akada company building and the Tuanjie Theater, are also listed to be demolished.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2009)