Text messaging services began to resume Sunday for mobile phone users in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, six months after the July 5 riot in the regional capital of Urumqi.

The services were "gradually" restored since midnight Sunday, said an official with the information office of the regional government.

Local residents sent text messages to their family members and friends as soon as they got the news.

The access for Xinjiang residents to two websites, namely xinhuanet.com and people.com.cn, were restored on December 28, followed by access to another two portal websites, or sina.com.cn and sohu.com, on January 10.

Other services had also been resumed, including online banking, online securities trading, online student enrollment and text messages of weather forecast, the official said.

Internet connection and mobile phone text messaging services were cut in some areas of Xinjiang after the deadly July 5 riot, in a move to quench the riot quickly and prevent violence from happening again.

The move proved to be effective in dealing with the riot and maintaining stability of the region. However, it also brought inconveniences to people's lives, the official said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2010)