Xinjiang calls for terror suspects to surrender

Legal, procuratorate and public security authorities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region issued a joint statement on Saturday, calling for law-breakers who are involved in terrorist activities to surrender to get lenient punishments.

The statement forbids people to organize, lead or join any terrorist groups. It bans people from implementing or instigating terrorist violence. It also prohibits people from directly or indirectly funding, supporting or harbouring terrorist activities, terrorist organizations and terrorists.

The statement also bans people from manufacturing, trading, transporting, publicizing, copying and holding propaganda materials or electric storages with terrorist violence and religious extremism contents.

Manufacturing, trading, transporting, storing and holding guns, ammunitions, flammable and combustible materials as well as knives under strict control are also prohibited.

It also bans people from illegally crossing borders or organizing, plotting, transporting or assisting others to cross borders.

Those who are invloved in the above activities will be given mitigated punishments if they turn themselves in within 30 days, according to the statement.

Those who turn themselves in and make major meritorious performances will be given minor punishment or exempted from punishment, it said.

It also encourages the public to inform authorities about the above criminal activities. Those who harbor the criminals will be punished according to law.

The far western region saw its bloodiest day in five years on Thursday when 39 innocent people were killed in a terrorist attack in the regional capital of Urumqi.