The chief official of west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has ordered a harsh crackdown on religious extremists in the region's latest clampdown on terrorism.

Zhang Chunxian, secretary of Xinjiang regional committee of the Communist Party of China, made the pledge at a regional government meeting in the wake of a trio of deadly attacks in the region.

 

Zhang Chunxian, secretary of the Xinjiang regional committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), made the pledge at a regional government meeting in the wake of a trio of deadly attacks in the region.

Zhang ordered local officials to rely on the public to help them curb illegal religious activities and to crack down on the use of religion to incite violence or organize terrorist attacks, local media reported Monday.

He said the managing of religious affairs should follow the central government's policy of "protecting the legitimate, banning the illegal, fighting infiltration and cracking down on crimes."

Nearly 42 percent of Xinjiang's 21 million people are Uyghurs, a largely Muslim Chinese ethnic group. The region is considered to be a frontline in China's fight against separatism and terrorism.

Two bloody attacks occurred in the region's city of Kashgar during the last weekend of July, leaving at least 14 civilians killed and 42 others injured. Police killed eight terrorists during the attacks.

The Kashgar violence followed a July 18 terrorist attack targeting a police station in the city of Hotan that left 18 people dead, including 14 terrorists.

Zhang said the focus of the region's current anti-terrorism efforts is to stem the tide of violence and prevent the occurrence of riots triggered by the attacks.

Experts have said the recent Xinjiang violence shows clear signs of religious extremism, which may continue to fuel attacks in the region if it is not effectively checked.

A local anti-terrorism expert who declined to be named previously told Xinhua that the government leadership must curb the spread of extremism among local religious believers.

He said the extremists have taken advantage of the government's policy on religious freedom and are indoctrinating people through a form of extremist evangelism.

Local media reports quoted Zhang as saying that the government meeting was held to ensure that the region's anti-terror efforts are in line with the latest instructions from President Hu Jintao and other top leaders.

Zhang said the central leadership has paid great attention to stability in Xinjiang and President Hu has given "important instructions" on how to deal with the situation.

Last Friday, Zhang also consulted with Xinjiang's leading ethnic officials on ways to strengthen the management of religious affairs.

"Illegal religious activities are a key factor influencing Xinjiang's stability. Hostile forces are using illegal religious gatherings to organize separatist activities," said Turkan Pita, head of the regional government's ethnic affairs committee, which also oversees the management of religious affairs.

Other ethnic officials suggested conducting a thorough study of religious development trends in Xinjiang and other parts of the world while learning from the experience of foreign countries in governing religious affairs.

The region's senior officials also urged imams from the region's Islamic mosques to join the fight against illegal religious activity and guide their believers to recognize "the nature of the 'three forces' -- separatism, extremism, and terrorism," and contribute to ethnic unity.

Xinjiang is still recovering from a deadly riot that occurred in its capital city of Urumqi two years ago.

On July 5, 2009, a large number of rock-flinging and knife-wielding thugs looted shops, torched vehicles and killed nearly 200 people in the city's downtown area, marking the worst outbreak of violence seen in the region in decades.

Authorities blamed overseas groups for inciting the riot. Tensions created by the incident still linger.

Last year, the central government drew a set of favorable policies for Xinjiang and mobilized nationwide financial support to boost the region's economic development.

"The recent cases (of violence) have had some impact on Xinjiang's development and stability, but will not drag on the region's growth," Zhang said, urging officials to carry on with development and welfare projects.