A top media official in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region expressed Tuesday regrets over an alleged beating of three Hong Kong journalists last week, but noted that they had violated local regulations.

"We are regretful over the incident," said Hou Hanmin, director of the Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Information Office, during a meeting with a group of Hong Kong journalists who came to the regional capital of Urumqi to cover the aftermath of the riot on July 5.

"Of the three journalists, only one had a temporary press card that allowed him to conduct interviews in the city, but the other two didn't. They violated our regulations," she said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2009)