Some police in Beijing have been mobilized to safeguard the annual congressional sessions which begin this week, but police chiefs have said that protestors will not be forced to leave the capital as long as they behave properly.

As a routine measure, the police will send back a handful of homeless and unemployed people who have been idling in Beijing for a long time, but it does not affect "protestors who act properly", said Xu Hu, vice director of public order administration under the ministry, at a press conference on Thursday.

The Fourth Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) begins this Sunday, while the Fourth Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) begins on March 3.

The meetings, including small-group sessions on provincial issues and ministry work reports, will run for nearly two weeks. Lots of protestors from all over China have headed for Beijing over the years, trying to reach the Great Hall of the People to voice their concerns.

"Beijing is the capital for all Chinese so we won't bar anyone from coming to Beijing during the meetings," said Wu Heping, the spokesman of the Public Security Ministry, who added that a special segment of police have been set up to patrol the meeting venues.

He did not reveal how many police personnel have been assigned to the mission. But security around the Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People has been tightened, with more police vans and armed police patrolling the streets night and day.

Wang Jinbiao, another official with the ministry in charge of traffic control, said schemes have been drawn up for safe traffic during the meeting time, with an emphasis on providing convenience for congress deputies while not disturbing the ordinary citizens.  

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2006)