Beijing issues reminder on Olympic security as officers raid gang hideout in restive northwest

Wed, Jul 9 11:23 AM

BEIJING (AP) _ Chinese authorities on Wednesday reminded Olympics fans of strict security rules at this summer's Beijing Games, including bans on everything from radioactive materials to long-handled umbrellas. Some ticket holders "might not pay attention" to the list of items banned from Olympic venues, which also includes cigarette lighters, beverages, and all toxic or potentially flammable materials the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

"As long as there is a security risk, security personnel get to remove it," Xinhua said. The reminder follows reports of stepped-up security to guard against attempts to sabotage the games.

Beijing claims Tibetan forces allied with the exiled Dalai Lama and Islamic separatists from the northwestern Xinjiang region are seeking to torpedo the games with violent plots, including suicide bombers. No evidence has been provided to support the claims.

In an apparently unrelated report, Xinhua said police shot and killed five suspected gang members in Xinjiang when one of them stabbed an officer while resisting arrest during a raid. Eight suspects were detained, and two alleged gang members were taken to a hospital with injuries, the report said.

Some of the suspects were accused of storming into a beauty salon with knives and injuring the owner, the report said. It gave no other information on the motivation for the raid or why the other suspects were killed.

Authorities have accused Xinjiang separatists of attempting to crash an airliner in March and planning to kidnap athletes and journalists during the games, which start Aug. 8.

Xinjiang, like the similarly troubled region of Tibet, has a language and culture that is distinct from that of China's ethnic Han majority. Extremists among Xinjiang's indigenous Uighur ethnic group have waged a low-intensity struggle against Chinese rule for decades.

Many have been sentenced to long prison terms or death on separatism charges. Increasingly tight security has been imposed throughout China as the games approach, with new security checks implemented in Beijing's subway and on iconic Tiananmen Square, the scene of student-led pro-democracy protests in 1989 that were brutally crushed by the military.

China plans to deploy about 100,000 anti-terrorism police during the games, with some of Beijing's 500,000 Olympic volunteers also serving in security roles. Underscoring the thoroughness of the measures, ground-to-air missiles have been installed just 800 meters (a half mile) from the National Stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held.

Xinhua on Wednesday also announced a blanket ban beginning July 20 on visitors to prestigious Peking University, site of the Olympic table tennis events. Given China's tightly controlled society, security experts do not consider terrorism a major threat to the games, although concerns persist over the likelihood of nonviolent protests.

The biggest challenge China has faced thus far is from bad publicity as a result of repression against political dissidents and the media. Hein Verbruggen, the senior International Olympic Committee official who has guided preparations, said Tuesday it was time for Beijing to deliver on its commitment to allow media to report freely during the games.

The IOC and television rights holders such as America's NBC have been at odds for months with Chinese security officials, fighting to clarify the rights of satellite trucks to move freely around the city of 17 million. Access to spots like Tiananmen Square who will be allowed in, when and under what conditions is also a contentious subject with Chinese authorities fearing the site could be used as a TV backdrop by pro-Tibet protesters or the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

Air pollution is an additional concern, although it is supposed to be cleared up by plans beginning July 20 to remove about 2 million cars from Beijing's streets and shut dozens of factories and heavy industry in Beijing and a half-dozen surrounding provinces.

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