Armed police in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in northwestern China, are fully capable of combating separatist force?s sabotage activities, coping with various unexpected incidents and maintaining the region's stability, a police chief from Xinjiang said in Beijing Monday.
Mei Xingrun, a deputy representing the armed police in Xinjiang as well as chief of the Armed Police Xinjiang regional headquarters, who is currently in Beijing for the impending first session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC), noted that the situation in the autonomous region is now gratifying with its social stability, sound economic growth and national unity.
The armed police forces stationed in Xinjiang have, in line with directives of local armed police units and the autonomous regional government, for years been carrying out the policy of dealing hard blows at the separatist forces and maintained stability in the region, he added.
However, he said, helicopters, armored vehicles, sophisticated weaponry and even robots would be available in autonomous region to combat terrorism and separatism, with the help of high technology and the state-of-art equipment.
Helicopters and armored vehicles have greatly increased the quick-reaction capability of the armed police, who are also equipped with bomb-removing robots and advanced detection instruments, he added.
In addition, modern communication networks linking armed forces stationed in different parts of the vast region has taken shape to keep them in contact around the clock. And quick-reaction squads have been formed to mete out hard blows to hijackers and other terrorists.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the State Council and the CPC Central Military Commission are following closely the situation in Xinjiang, said Mei, acknowledging that the stability in the region is of vital importance to the stability of the whole country.
The armed police forces stationed in Xinjiang have played a critical role in their struggles against the "East Turkistan" terror groups. Since early last year, the armed police have taken special drilling schemes such as those aimed to combat terrors, guard against and prevent any possible explosions and conduct anti-raid exercises, said Mei.
A whole range of anti-terrorism programs has been worked out by the armed police, he noted, to respond promptly to different trying situations.
With the further development in outlying western China, Xinjiang welcomes more investment to the region, and a safe environment can be guaranteed for the region's sound economic development, Mei said.
(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2003)
