The New York Times reports, "Residents of an ethnically diverse prefecture in far northwest China that borders several nations have been asked to hand over their passports to the police by Friday or have the documents canceled...The policy is an attempt by the authorities to combat a surge in ethnic violence in the region of Xinjiang by putting in place systemic restrictions on who is allowed to leave and enter China, particularly from the prefecture near the border. Tensions between ethnic Uighurs and the ruling ethnic Han, the dominant group in China, have been on the rise in the region in recent years. Chinese officials have also said they suspect jihadist ideology is taking hold among some Uighurs, who are mostly Sunni Muslims."