Source:
AFP Sun Jan 17, 9:28 pm ET
BEIJING (AFP) – China further eased restrictions on communications in its troubled Xinjiang region, restoring text messaging services six months after deadly ethnic unrest, state media said Monday.
The move followed similar recent moves to reintroduce Internet access, with residents now able to access the websites of two state media outlets as well as two popular web portals, sina.com.cn and sohu.com.
Xinhua news agency quoted a regional government official as saying text messaging services were "gradually" restored on Sunday. Some online banking services are now also available, the report said.
The report said the communications blackout put in place after the deadly riots in early July, which left nearly 200 people dead and more than 1,600 injured, had proven "effective" in helping to maintain regional stability.
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