Public security authorities in Xinjiang, northwest China, posted a public notice Monday, vowing to protect residents and maintain social order after recent syringe attacks triggered mass protests.

The pledge of the Public Security Department of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region followed a joint notice released by the court, prosecutor's office and police bureau of Urumqi, the regional capital, on Sunday, which said an attacker may face life sentence or even death penalty if he has caused grave consequence.

Those who stab to hurt others, whatever means they use, are considered to commit crimes and "must" be punished according to law, said Monday's notice of the regional Public Security Department.

The department said those who pretend to suffer syringe attacks and cause terrors among the public will also face punishment.

The notice urged all organizations, companies and communities to educate their employees and residents to shoulder the responsibilities of "consciously" helping maintain social order.

Any citizen can bring to police suspects who are committing syringe attacks or fleeing from the scene, the notice said. But it prohibited beating suspects.

The department also warned the public not to instigate ethnic conflicts.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Urumqi to protest against hypodermic syringe attacks and demand security guarantees last week. Five people died and at least 14 people were hospitalized for injuries during the protests.

By Thursday, hospitals had dealt with 531 victims of hypodermic syringe stabbings, 106 of whom showed obvious signs of needle attacks.

Police received another 77 reports of attacks between 5:00 PM Sunday and 5:00 PM Monday.

Police have caught 45 suspects amid the syringe scare, of whom 12 are in police custody. The procuratorate has approved the arrests of four. Eight people were sent for forced isolation of drugs, according to police authorities of Urumqi.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2009)