Law enforcers in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have set anti-terrorism as the main task in their work, according to Rozi Ismail, head of Xinjiang Higher People's Court.

People's courts at all levels in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region closed 437 cases on jeopardizing state security in 2009, with many of the criminals having conducted activities of terrorist violence, said Rozi Ismail in his work report at the on-going Xinjiang People's Congress, or the legislature.

A total of 255 people got at least 10 years' imprisonment, life imprisonment or death penalty, according to the report.

This gave a major blow to those who had tried to use violence to separate the country or use religion to carry out extreme activities, said Rozi Ismail.

Xinjiang courts at all levels had tried 21,463 criminal cases and closed 20,770, accounting for 96.7 percent of the total, he said.

The public security spending in Xinjiang is expected to grow at a relatively higher rate, according to a budget proposal submitted to the People's Congress.