Society

Xinjiang rumor mongers punished over texts

By Cui Jia (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-26 07:50

Hundreds of people in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have been punished for spreading rumors and separatist content via text messages during the Spring Festival holiday, local authorities said Thursday.

Two people were detained as of Feb 20, while the rest received administrative punishments for sending text messages containing rumors and separatist content to mobile users within and outside Xinjiang, according to a statement released by the region's information office.

The text messages caused panic during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday. More than half of those punished are students and self-employed people. A number of people who sent the messages meant them as jokes, the police said.

Police also fined two people 50 yuan ($7) in Urumqi, the regional capital, for fabricating and spreading firearms-related rumors on Feb 14.

Text messaging services in the region were suspended 24 hours after the July 5 riot last year in Urumqi because it was reportedly a major tool used by ringleaders to instigate the violence, which left 197 dead and more than 1,700 injured.

Domestic text messaging services in the region resumed on Jan 17 after authorities found the overall situation stabilized, although sending messages overseas remains prohibited.

Each mobile phone user in Xinjiang is allowed a maximum of 20 messages a day and users cannot transfer any unused messages to the next day. The quota was increased to 50 a day during the Spring Festival holiday so people could send greetings to each other. It has been reduced back to 20 a day.

Xinjiang authorities have warned residents not to spread rumors about disease, unrest or terrorism and said that any offender will be punished.