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January 12, 2015

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Home » Opinion » Chinese Views

Build a ‘wall of bronze and iron’ against terrorism

Source: Xinhua | January 12, 2015, Monday | Print Edition

WHILE China saw several successes in 2014, from the progress in the anti-corruption drive to the successful hosting of APEC, the year was also marred by deadly terrorist attacks.

A terrorist attack that killed 31 people and injured 141 in March at a railway station in the southwestern city of Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, was among the first attacks last year.

After seeing the attack in Kunming, Chinese people have begun to believe it could happen in their own cities, around them or their families, said Turwinjan Tursun, associate researcher with the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences.

Mei Jianming, an anti-terrorism expert at the People’s Public Security University of China, said the violence has seeped outside the borders of Xinjiang into other parts of China. This trend became more obvious after the terrorist attack in Kunming, he noted.

Meanwhile, terrorist activities have been on the rise in Xinjiang over the past year. On April 30, three people were killed and 79 injured at a railway station in Urumqi, the region’s capital city. On May 22, an attack on a market, also in Urumqi, left 39 civilians dead and 94 injured. July 28 saw 37 civilians killed and 13 injured in a terrorist attack in Shache County, Kashgar Prefecture. In yet another attack on September 21, six civilians were killed and 54 injured after a series of explosions were set off in Luntai County.

Anti-terrorism drills

To better handle such emergencies, many provinces and regions began conducting anti-terrorism drills beginning in March. During the drills in Beijing, special vehicles and police helicopters were present at the scene.

In Fujian, Anhui, Sichuan and Jiangsu provinces, most of the exercises were staged in railway stations and kindergartens with scenarios such as knife attacks and hijackings.

Meanwhile, in cities like Beijing, Guangzhou and Urumqi, citizens have been rewarded for providing terror and crime tips. China’s first counterterrorism militia was also unveiled to the public in Shenzhen last May.

Calling terrorism the common enemy of the people, President Xi Jinping urged the public to build a “wall of bronze and iron” to fight against it.

“(We must) make terrorists become like rats scurrying across a street, with everybody shouting ‘beat them!’” Xi said at a group study session on national security and social stability by the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in April.

In May, China launched a year-long crackdown on terrorism with Xinjiang as the major battleground. Some suspects and fugitives involved in terrorist activities have already given themselves to police, sources said.

In Xinjiang, slogans of fighting terrorism are posted on urban and rural streets and lanes. In many primary and middle schools, guards and male teachers stand watch when students enter or leave the school. Urumqi has set up concrete road barriers and steel fences on both sides of several streets.

In June, a group of terrorists at a chess and card room were seized by civilians and police in Hotan Prefecture. In August, more than 30,000 volunteers helped local police chase the suspects in Karakax County.

“Terrorist attacks hurt people who love their homeland,” said Pan Zhiping, professor with the Central Asia Research Institute with Xinjiang University.

Pan said more civilians from different ethnic groups have joined the counterterrorism campaign. Their behavior once again shows that terrorists are the enemies of all people.

“The war on terrorism should be led by the government and widely participated in by the public,” said Mei Jianming, who added that as long as the country mobilizes resources at all levels, the war can be won.

But as the situation becomes more complicated, China vowed to introduce a counterterrorism law at the national level. The war on terrorism should be waged in accordance with law, and people’s legitimate rights including freedom of expression and privacy should also be protected, Mei said.

Chinese Views


 

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