Media reports stating that more than 200 suspects involved in the deadly July 5 riot in Urumqi have been formally arrested and will face trial this week in Urumqi are “totally untrue,” a spokeswoman of the Xinjiang government told the Global Times yesterday.

A story in a State-owned English-language newspaper, published yesterday and citing an unnamed Urumqi procuratorate official, gave the new number of arrests and the trial time, adding that the charges include vandalizing public property, robbery, murder, arson and organizing crowds to disrupt public order and traffic.

However, Hou Hanmin, the spokeswoman for the Xinjiang Uygur Autonmous Region, denied any truth in the report, saying there will be no trial starting this week, and that the figure of more than 200 arrested is inaccurate.

“The number of officially arrested suspects remains at the figure given by Procurator Utiku'er Abudrehman of the People's Procuratorate of Urumqi on August 8, which is still 83,” she said.

The government will formally announce the date of the trial as soon as it is set, she added.

Another official told the Global Times that a trial at this time is unlikely, as Urumqi will host a large-scale annual trade fair from September 1 to 5, and the Uygurs are celebrating Ramadan, the holiest period for Muslims, which started August 22.

Ma Limin, an Urumqi restaurateur, said the atmosphere is not as tense as shortly after the riot.

“Local residents are not so worried about their safety now,” he said. “The number of diners, mostly tourist-group members, has been growing.”

Ma's restaurant is close to the International Grand Bazaar, the center of the July 5 riot that left 197 dead and more than 1,600 people injured.

Vehicles will be subject to strict security checks after 9 pm for fear of unexpected incidents as the October 1 National Holiday draws near.

“Saboteurs will not easily succeed,” Ma said,

The number of tourists saw a dramatic decline in July due to the riots. Tourism has been recovering this month.

“The number of visitors during weekends has surpassed 5,000 people, back to the pre-July 5 level,” said Shi Yun, assistant manger of the Tianshan Mountain Canyon Scenic Spot in Urumqi, adding that they received 515 visitors on Saturday alone.

In an effort to embrace the Urumqi Fair and National Day, the city has given landmark venues a facelift.

Urumqi authorities are expected to earmark close to 40 million yuan to renovate buildings on the Youhao, Nanhu, Guangming and Beijing roads.

He Yiming, secretary of the organizing committee of the fair and director of the regional commerce department, told the Global Times, “Despite the global financial crisis and the riots, preparations for the fair are proceeding smoothly.”

More than 500 domestic business people and representatives from 260 countries and regions will attend the fair.