Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
China anniversary puts security jitters on show
Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:29am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Ben Blanchard
BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese government is flooding Beijing with armed police and up to one million security "volunteers" to head off any unrest over October's sensitive anniversary of 60 years of Communist Party rule.
The relentless security has grounded pigeons, lined streets with grandmothers, prompted warnings to stock up on food and left harried residents wondering who the festivities are really for.
The authorities are pulling out all the stops to ensure that when the world's third largest economy celebrates six decades of the People's Republic with a massive parade on October 1, nothing disrupts the party -- certainly not ordinary spectators.
Officials have been coy about what threats they fear but say they are not over-reacting, pointing to recent protests in the remote regions of Tibet and Xinjiang as a reminder that the country is vulnerable to security threats.
Even on Thursday, police arrested a man for stabbing two people to death and wounding a dozen a few minutes walk from central Tiananmen Square, Xinhua news agency said.
Domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang, in remarks carried by Xinhua last week, called for a "people's war" to ensure Beijing's stability.
One million "volunteers," many of them retirees working on Party-controlled neighborhood committees, will swarm through the city's streets to "guarantee security, communications and celebration activities," state-run Xinhua said.
Paramilitary police are also patrolling in greater numbers than usual, some of them armed.
The parade will feature military hardware and other trophies of China's growing strength and confidence.
But the many steps accompanying the celebrations underscore the Party's fear of any unrest that could challenge its authority, reminding citizens about who is in control.
LOCK UP YOUR PIGEONS
Barely a day goes by without new measures being promulgated, some of which border on the bizarre. Mailing liquids or powders, including soap and toothpaste, has been banned.
Any private tourist or leisure flights are also banned. Pigeon fanciers have been told to lock their birds in the coop.
On the day itself, when a mass military parade will pass through Tiananmen Square, residents whose houses line the parade route will be banned from opening their windows or going onto their balconies.
This is to "ensure the smooth progress of the National Day celebrations," according to one letter sent to residents. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Indonesia's most wanted man killed in police raid
analysis
Israel's choice: Bomb or bunker?
The orchestrated roar of air force exercises designed to signal Israel's readiness to attack Iranian nuclear facilities are in sharp contrast to a far quieter project deep beneath the western Jerusalem hills. Full Article
More International News
Karzai defends Afghan vote, blast hits Italian troops
U.S. military shuts largest detainee camp in Iraq
Indonesia's most wanted man killed in police raid
| Video
Iran Guards warn against protests during anti-Israel rallies
Biden presses Iraqis to agree on oil
More International News...
Related News
China sentences 4 syringe attackers in Xinjiang
6:34am EDT
Hundreds of Chinese villagers protest lead poisoning
9:28am EDT
Featured Broker sponsored link
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
U.S. abandons missile shield in Europe
UPDATE 4-Skype founders sue eBay, investors
Leno show loses 7 million viewers on second night | Video
Japan scientists create 3-D images you can touch
U.S. to shelve Europe missile shield plans: report
Flu experts gear up for pandemic of vaccine worry
To bomb, or to bunker? Israel's Iran choices narrow
Dan Brown novel breaks one-day sales records
Swine flu death rate similar to seasonal flu: expert
Behind the snags, drama, hype: Meet the Boeing 787
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
No public option in Senate bill
Pitt: Stopping the next crisis
Dollar punished
Talk of the Town
Bomb in Afghan capital
Abuse charges shock Australia
Obama: No pending Afghan decision
Famous vent their fury
Battle over Afghan policy
Airline staff held on drug charges
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
analysis
The provocateur
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's latest arms purchases from Moscow has put him right back where he is happiest: challenging U.S. power, drawing accusations from Hillary Clinton and above all playing to his home crowd. Full Article
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Journalism Handbook |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.