BEIJING: Unrelenting risks of “terror” and separatist activity in China’sfar western region of Xinjiang require a prolonged security crackdown,state media said late on Sunday, after a year-long campaign that sawincreased police deployment and heightened surveillance.
China says Xinjiang faces a serious threat from extremists and separatistswho plot violent attacks and stir up tensions between the mostly MuslimUighur minority who call the region home and the ethnic Han Chinesemajority.
In response, the government has organized mass police rallies and rolledout new surveillance and anti-terror measures throughout the region,including thousands of newly installed street-corner police stations incities and towns.
A report first read at a government meeting on Jan 22 by governor ShohratZakir and published on the official Xinjiang Daily newspaper said that2017’s campaign had made it clear that stabilizing society in Xinjiangwould require more measures.
“There has been no fundamental change to the situation of Xinjiang being ina time of regular violent terror activities, an intense struggle againstseparatists and the painful throes of an intervention treatment,” Zakirsaid.
He added that the long-term peace and stability of Xinjiang and its societymust be the overall goal of the regional government for the “criticalperiod” of the next five years.
To meet this goal, the government will continue to deepen severe specialistoperations, such as guaranteeing absolute security of key areas and the“normalization” of preventative measures in society, Zakir said.
China blames the violence in Xinjiang on Islamist extremists andseparatists, some of whom it says have links to groups outside the country.
Rights groups and Uighur exiles say it is more a product of Uighurfrustration at Chinese controls on their culture and religion. China deniesany repression.- Agencies