The government of Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, put traffic controls in place on major roads in downtown areas Thursday evening, after local residents took to streets to protest against hypodermic syringe attacks.

Passage in areas including Youhao Road, Guangming Road and Renmin Square would not be allowed for any vehicle starting from 9 p.m. Thursday, according to mobile phone messages sent out by the region's information center.

The protest, attended by tens of thousands of people, crippled the city's traffic system and forced shops in major commercial streets to shut.

Source:Xinhua