Jan. 21 – China is slowly easing communication restrictions in its once restive Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

Yesterday the ban on international calls in the region was lifted after text messaging services were also restored a few days prior. Internet access is also partly back although only the edited versions of the Chinese web sites Xinhua, People’s Daily, Sohu and Sina can be accessed and foreign web sites are still blocked. According to the Xinjiang-based blog Far West China, only 20 text messages can be sent a day.More than six months ago, the capital Urumqi was rocked with ethnic unrest between ethnic Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese killing 197 and injuring 1,700, the most violent in decades.

Beijing lay the blame on Uighur separatists and religious extremists using the internet, telephones and mobile text messages to stoke tension and escalate violence. Some businesses working in the region have been forced to move outside in the past months to gain access to phone and Internet services. It unsure if  the lift on the communications blackout will tempt businesses to relocate back to the region.