China foils terror plot |
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AM - Monday, 10 March , 2008 08:08:00Reporter: Stephen McDonellPETER CAVE: Chinese officials claim to have foiled terrorist attacks coming from the country's far-western Muslim region of Xinjiang. One was an attempt to crash a passenger jet last Friday and the other was a plot to attack the Olympics, supposedly being hatched in a training camp being run by Muslim separatists. China correspondent Stephen McDonell reports. STEPHEN MCDONELL: China's most western province of Xinjiang borders Pakistan and Afghanistan. It's home to eight million Uighur Muslims who don't look the slightest bit Chinese. Many locals, with their unique language, feel that their culture is being swamped by that of China's dominant Han population. Some of these disaffected Uighurs are said to belong to an armed separatist group known as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. It reportedly carries out bombings and other attacks in the hope of eventually achieving an independent homeland. But very little verifiable information on the group is ever released in China. According to the Government, six weeks ago, police raided a camp being run by armed separatists. There was a shoot-out. Five police officers were wounded by home-made grenades. Two militants were killed and 15 arrested. There's no film of this, there are no photos, so Chinese officials have to be taken on trust that these events took place in this way. Last night, the Communist Party Chief of Xinjiang, Wang Lequan, said that the police raid had stopped an attack on the Olympic Games. According to Xinhua news agency he said, "Obviously, the gang had planned an attack on the Olympics." He went on, "Those terrorists, saboteurs, and secessionists are to be battered resolutely, no matter what ethnic group they come from." Another official from Xinjiang disclosed details last night of a separate attempted attack, but this one three days ago. Nuer Baikeli, the Governor of Xinjiang, said a passenger jet took of from the regional capital Urumqi, bound for Beijing. He said air crew discovered there were people trying to bring the plane down. NUER BAIKELI (translated): From what we presently know, we are sure that this was an attempt to crash the plan. Fortunately, the plane crew discovered and then prevented the act. All the passengers, the plane crew and the plane itself are all right now. STEPHEN MCDONELL: He didn't go into details of how the attackers planned to destroy the aircraft or where they wanted to crash it. But Reuters news agency has quoted an unnamed source saying that inflammable liquid was found in the toilet and that two passengers have been detained. Like all events surrounding militant activity in Xinjiang, information on this is scarce. But, as the Olympic Games draws closer, Government authorities are definitely worried that some Muslim separatists might seize the opportunity to attack the Chinese capital. This is Stephen McDonell in Beijing for AM. | ||
