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Top leaders have pledged to maintain stability in Xinjiang as a relative state of normalcy returned to this city of 2.3 million yesterday, five days after its bloodiest riot in six decades.

The nine-member Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), led by President Hu Jintao, met Wednesday night to discuss the Xinjiang riot, the Xinhua News Agency said yesterday.

"Preserving and maintaining the overall stability of Xinjiang is the most important and pressing task," said a statement issued yesterday by the Politburo Standing Committee.

The meeting also vowed "severe punishment" of rioters. The violence left 156 dead and more than 1,000 injured in the capital city of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Hu, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, cut short his trip to Europe and skipped the G8 meeting due to the situation in Xinjiang.

Security forces continued to patrol Urumqi yesterday. Most businesses reopened, as public servants resumed work after a three-day "work holiday" following the riot. People from all ethnic groups swarmed the streets again.

Internet access was still blocked; about 400 reporters from home and abroad raced about and thousands of armed police were on constant patrol.

"I just figured it's about time," said Peng Xianghua, who reopened his clothing store on South Youhao Road. "This tension can't go on forever. We have to live on."

The Urumqi native said he feels fortunate that his family and store were intact after Sunday's riot.

As normalcy returned, the legacy of the tragedy lives on. It will take some time before "inner stability" can be restored, Peng said.

The Politburo statement said the government will "firmly crack down on serious crimes, including assaults, vandalism, looting and arson" to maintain social stability and safeguard people's fundamental interests in Xinjiang. The Standing Committee told authorities to "isolate and crack down on the tiny few" and "unify and educate the majority of masses".

Zhou Yongkang, the Politburo Standing Committee member in charge of law enforcement, traveled to Urumqi yesterday. Zhou urged armed police to protect life and property.

The deadly July 5 unrest in Urumqi has "profound" political implications, the Politburo statement said.

It was a serious violent crime that was masterminded and organized by the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism at home and abroad, it said. The unrest has resulted in great losses to people and done great harm to local order and stability, it said.

（英语点津 Helen 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move to China and join the China Daily team.