Authorities in the capital of the restive Xinjiang region have launched a three-month security campaign targeting non-permanent residents in the lead-up to the first anniversary of the deadly unrest that gripped the city in July last year.
In an apparent bid to pre-empt the worst ethnic violence in the region in recent decades, which left nearly 200 people dead, local police in Urumqi announced they would soon start door-to-door checks for those who do not have hukou, or residential certification.
The clampdown will start next Monday and last until August 14, although the three-month campaign actually began on Thursday, according to the China News Service.
'The rectification of hukou would focus on temporary and mobile residents, including foreigners, college graduates, the unemployed and those recently released from jail,' it reported.
Although the report made no mention of the sensitive anniversary of the biggest clash between Han Chinese and Uygurs in recent history, mainland analysts said the campaign was clearly aimed at plugging security loopholes.
An expert on ethnic affairs at Minzu University of China, Professor Yang Shengmin , said the campaign was based on the need to maintain security.
The situation in Urumqi remained tense, according to local residents, with armed police and riot police patrolling the main streets. Regional authorities also staged the largest anti-riot drill since last year's violence on Thursday in Urumqi, involving nearly 1,000 armed police.
