President’s peace mission: Hu attempts to calm residents in Xinjiang province
PRESIDENT HU Jintao last weekend made his first trip to the western Chinese region of Xinjiang since last month’s deadly ethnic riots, and during meetings with People’s Armed Police, police and soldiers he urged the security forces to focus on maintaining stability.
“You should make upholding social stability the most urgent task and maintain great strength to ensure triumph in the struggle to maintain stability in Xinjiang,” Mr Hu told a group of security officials involved in subduing the violence between Uighurs and Han Chinese.
The violence began on July 5th and left 197 people dead, mostly Han, and wounded more than 1,600, according to official figures.
China Central Television showed Mr Hu meeting ethnic groups and local residents, visiting factories and also visiting the widow of a Chinese policemen killed in the riots.
The high-profile meeting with the People’s Armed Police (PAP) shows the growing importance of the 660,000-member force, which is mainly deployed as a better-armed, highly trained back-up to the regular police.
Amid growing domestic unrest as the economy slows, and with growing challenges in managing ethnic violence, the government is planning a new law this week on how and when the troops are mobilised.
PAP troops, who are identifiable by their red shoulder epaulettes, were used to subdue rioters in Tibetan areas last year after violence there left at least 18 people dead. They were out in force last month when the Uighurs clashed with Han migrants in Urumqi for China’s worst ethnic violence in decades.
During his visit, Mr Hu warned separatists that they were “doomed to fail”. “Victory in the struggle against the rioters shows the strength of the party and the people,” Mr Hu said.
His visit came as local officials in Xinjiang denied a state media report that trials of people suspected to be involved in the riots would begin this week and also denied that the number arrested had risen to 200, a big jump from the figure of 83 announced earlier this month.