The map does seem to show that terrorism is moving well outside of Xinjiang into major urban areas.
09/02/2014
Five jawans injured in landmine blast by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh – The Times of India
Five security personnel were on Sunday critically injured in a landmine blast triggered by Naxalites in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, police said.
The incident took place this morning in the forest near Bodhrajpadar village under Bhejji police station limits, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Neeraj Chandrakar said.
A joint squad of Central Reserve Police Force, its specialized unit Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) and district police was engaged in an anti-Naxalite operation in the region, which is around 500 km away from the state capital Raipur, for the past few days.
Maoists triggered a landmine blast and opened fire on the security personnel, Chandrakar said.
Five jawans were critically injured, he added. Maoists retreated as the security personnel retaliated and began to encircle them. Two helicopters have been sent to retrieve the injured jawans.
via Five jawans injured in landmine blast by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh – The Times of India.
09/02/2014
* Maoists changing policies, feels villagers – The Hindu
Oyami Podiyami, the Special Police Officer (SPO) turned constable, has a new problem, since his release earlier this week by the Maoists. After spending two months in Maoist custody, while being handed over to his friends – the villagers of Pinnabheji in Sukma district – Mr Podiyami was told to stay in his village. “In case I step out, the entire village will follow me,” said Mr Podiyami. In fact if the 36 year old constable runs away or ever again join the police, the villagers will be questioned by the rebels, which everyone wants to avoid. Hence, half of the village of about 500 Muria Gond tribals, follow Mr Podiyami wherever he goes, even to his soirees.
Oyami Podiyami and his former colleague, Barse Ganga, were kidnapped in November. They were made to walk several hundred kilometers through forests, as is the routine in any Maoist squad, till they were released. The release has surprised Mr Podiyami.
…
Mr Podiyami, who was later promoted as a constable, soon after Supreme Court disbanded SPOs in 2011, joined the Surya Group about six years back. He accepts that he was one of the top fighters and /perhaps/ killed many. “I did several encounters in Golapalli and Kistaram area in extreme south and fired upon Maoists…however, I am not sure if I hit anyone,” said Mr Podiyami. While in custody, Mr Podiyami explained his role as a policeman to the Maoists and confessed that he did “vandalize villages but never raped any woman.” Reaction of the rebels, however, surprised him.
“They interrogated me for several days and then came the shocker. They said, ‘…we changed our policy of killing villagers. We will release you, but after certain conditions are fulfilled’,” said Mr Podiyami. The conditions were explained to the villagers, when nearly 100 local residents met the Maoists, said Podiyami’s brother in law, Poddi, “We were asked to ensure that he never steps out of his village and if he does, then the entire hamlet should follow him…we did,” said Mr Poddi. He hopes rules will be relaxed after few years. “They were also told never to join the police, which also we guaranteed,” he said.
…
“The party has realized that killing, especially locals, is not helping anymore. We said that killing of constables or informers will not help (Maoists) as people are getting alienated,” said the Sarpanch, who is particularly close to the rebels in his area. He has witnessed such policy changes “several times” in last four decades, he claimed.
“May be it is a good time to initiate a talk (by the government) with the rebels, as they are changing their policies,” said the Sarpanch, while preparing his favourite brown rooster for another round of bloody fight in the weekly market.
via Maoists changing policies, feels villagers – The Hindu.
09/11/2013
China’s Coming Terrorism Wave | China Power | The Diplomat
Prediction time: China will experience unprecedented terrorism over the next few years.
On October 27, a carload of Xinjiang residents made headlines by crashing into a Tiananmen Square crowd, killing two people while injuring 38. Then, on Wednesday, a series of explosions rocked the provincial Communist Party headquarters in Shanxi province, killing one person while injuring 8.
This recent uptick in political violence is not an anomaly for China, but a harbinger of terrorist violence to come.
Several long-term trends put China at risk.
China’s footprint on the world stage is growing while the United States is retrenching internationally. The recent travel schedules of Xi Jinping and Barack Obama are telling. At a time when Barack was cancelling trips to attend the APEC Summit in Indonesia, the East Asia Summit in Brunei, and his planned visits to the Philippines and Malaysia, Xi was wrapping up tours of Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Tanzania, South Africa, the Congo, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kurdistan, and Turkmenistan. Look for Xi and he’s probably overseas. Look for Obama and he’s probably at home, wrangling with Congress.
Historically, Americans have been the preferred target of international terrorism, while China has been virtually spared. Americans have been the most popular target because of their country’s hegemonic position around the globe, which inevitably breeds mistrust, resentment, and ultimately counterbalancing. Professor Robert Pape at the University of Chicago has found that foreign meddling is highly correlated with incurring suicide terrorist campaigns. With its comparatively insular foreign policy, China has understandably elicited less passion and violence among foreign terrorists.
But the trajectories of the U.S. and China are now inverting. Reeling from its botched counterinsurgency campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States is engulfed in an unmistakable wave of isolationism. Meanwhile, China is rapidly converting its rising economic power into ever greater international leverage. This newfound orientation makes sense geopolitically, but will not come without costs.
Moving forward, China will contend with not only international terrorism, but also the domestic variety. This is because China is likely to follow (albeit belatedly) the post-Cold War Zeitgeist towards democratization. China will neither become a Jeffersonian democracy nor continue to disenfranchise political dissidents. Instead, it will inch closer to a “mixed” regime, a weak democratic state. This regime type is precisely the kind that sparks domestic political unrest. Such governments are too undemocratic to satisfy citizens, but too democratic to snuff them out.
Add to this brew globalization and the government’s critics at home and abroad will be better informed about both Chinese policy and how to mobilize against it, including violently.
via China’s Coming Terrorism Wave | China Power | The Diplomat.
21/10/2013
Movie Review: Shahid | India Insight
(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters)
The best thing about Hansal Mehta’s “Shahid” is that the filmmaker tries to tell a fascinating story. In a way, it is the story of the city of Mumbai — beginning with the riots that followed the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, and leading up to the attack on Mumbai that killed 166 people in 2008.
These events are depicted through the real-life story of Shahid Azmi, a teenager who gets caught up in the Mumbai riots, and a few months later, finds himself in Pakistan at a training camp for militants. A disillusioned Azmi returns to India but is tortured and imprisoned under the country’s anti-terror laws.
Azmi completes his schooling in jail, and after his release, studies law to help defend those he believes were wrongly accused and jailed on charges of terrorism.
Azmi, who was from a poor family that lived in a slum for a while, got as many as 17 people acquitted before he was shot dead in his office in the suburbs in 2010, while he was handling the case of a defendant in the Mumbai attacks.
Given the source material Mehta has, this is a film that promises to be gripping, and thankfully, the director doesn’t over-dramatize events. He uses a restrained, subtle narrative to tell the audiences Shahid’s story, rarely judging his motives or intentions. Mehta touches all aspects of Shahid’s life — his strained marriage, his relationship with his mother and brothers — never lingering for longer than necessary, and giving us a glimpse into a world not many of us are exposed to.
Even the drudgery of daily court proceedings is made fascinating, thanks to its lead actor. As Shahid, Raj Kumar injects the right amount of earnestness, anger and vulnerability into his role, to make this one of the best performances we have seen this year. The other actors, including Baljinder Kaur as Shahid’s mother, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as his elder brother are excellent. None of the performances feel like acting — right from the locations to the people who live there, they all seem completely real, and this is a huge strength of the film.
The one grouse with “Shahid” is perhaps it doesn’t tell the whole story, especially at the beginning. I wish Mehta had answered questions of how and why Shahid went to Pakistan, what caused his disillusionment, and made him return. Nevertheless, this is a small grouse with a film that is otherwise uplifting.
29/08/2013
China-India joint anti-terrorism training planned
Xinhua: “China and India will launch joint anti-terrorism training between the two armies within 2013 in southwest China, a spokesman announced on Thursday.
The training, set in Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan Province, has been arranged in accordance with the two armies’ annual military exchange plan, Ministry of National Defence spokesman Yang Yujun said at a news briefing.
The joint training is aimed at increasing mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation and preserving regional peace and stability, Yang said.
Experts from both sides have had two rounds of consultations on the date, assignment and scale of the forces to be involved in the training, he said. “The two defence ministries are keeping in touch on details of the training.”
Yang also slammed comments at the briefing that attempted to provoke tensions between China and India, saying, “It is groundless and shows a lack of good will to use weapons equipment as a pretext to drive a wedge between China and India.”
His remarks were in response to comments alleging India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier obviously targets China and ignites the fiercest arms race the world has ever seen in Asia.
“China and India are partners and close neighbors. Getting along well with each other and achieving co-development is in the fundamental interests of the two peoples,” the spokesman said.”
via China-India joint anti-terrorism training planned – Xinhua | English.news.cn.
28/06/2013
Death toll from Xinjiang attacks rises to 35
SCMP: “Beijing yesterday raised the death toll from a series of attacks in Turpan , Xinjiang , on Wednesday from 27 to 35.
Twenty-four were killed by rioters, including two policemen, Xinhua said, adding that 16 of them were Uygurs. Police killed 11 rioters, while 21 police officers and civilians were injured.
Xinhua said an unspecified number of “mobsters” stormed the government office, the police station, the People’s Armed Police base and a construction site in Lukqun township, Shanshan county, at around 5.50am on Wednesday. The authorities did not mention that a PAP base was also among the targets of attacks until yesterday.
It said four suspected rioters who were injured had been detained.
It was the first Chinese-language report on the incident released by Xinhua, which carried an English report roughly seven hours after the attacks.
Neither report mentioned the number of attackers, their ethnicity or what caused the attacks. But yesterday’s report branded the incident a “violent terrorist attack”.
A visitor to Turpan yesterday said he saw a roadblock with armed police officers and about 20 police vehicles.
A resident said a helicopter arrived on the scene along with many police and soldiers.
The Global Times, a tabloid affiliated with the People’s Daily, yesterday quoted an unnamed regional official as saying that “earlier this year local police handled a case in which a store was attacked, which might have triggered that violence”.
The attack came less than two weeks ahead of the fourth anniversary of ethnic clashes between Han Chinese and Uygurs in Urumqi , the regional capital, which left nearly 200 dead. Two months ago, 15 policemen or officials and six assailants were killed in another conflict in Bachu county, Kashgar , which involved attackers armed with knives and axes and the burning of a house.
A Lukqun resident told the South China Morning Post by phone that local officials had told people to stay at home and be vigilant soon after the violence on Wednesday, adding that dozens of militia soldiers from his village were patrolling the streets.
It was the deadliest unrest in the region since the media-savvy Zhang Chunxian became regional party secretary in April 2010, less than a year after the bloody clashes in Urumqi.”
via Death toll from Xinjiang attacks rises to 35 | South China Morning Post.
See also:
- https://chindia-alert.org/2013/04/03/china-asean-agree-to-develop-code-of-conduct-in-south-china-sea/
- https://chindia-alert.org/2013/04/24/chinas-xinjiang-hit-by-deadly-clashes/
- https://chindia-alert.org/2012/05/31/senior-leader-says-to-promote-xinjiangs-leapfrog-development/
- https://chindia-alert.org/2012/03/30/senior-leader-underlines-infrastructure-building-in-xinjiang-xinhua-english-news-cn/
- https://chindia-alert.org/political-factors/chinese-tensions/
24/04/2013
* China’s Xinjiang hit by deadly clashes
BBC: “Clashes in China’s restive Xinjiang region have left 21 people dead, including 15 police officers and officials, authorities say.
The violence occurred on Tuesday afternoon in Bachu county, Kashgar prefecture.
The foreign ministry said it had been a planned attack by a “violent terrorist group”, but ethnic groups questioned this.
There have been sporadic clashes in Xinjiang in recent years.
The incidents come amid rumbling ethnic tensions between the Muslim Uighur and Han Chinese communities. In 2009 almost 200 people – mostly Han Chinese – were killed after deadly rioting erupted.
Nothing is stopping foreign journalists from booking flights to Xinjiang after hearing reports of violence there. However, simply travelling to the region doesn’t guarantee the ability to dig out the truth behind this story.
In 2009, dozens of foreign reporters were permitted to join an official tour of Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, after clashes between minority ethnic Uighur residents and majority Chinese Hans killed 197 people.
Their experiences were mixed. Some reporters were able to speak to a variety of people on the ground, while others faced harassment and intimidation.
The situation remains the same today. Reporters who travel to the area are closely followed by government minders. Locals often hesitate to answer questions, fearing reprisals from government authorities.
Uighur exile groups often provide accounts that differ from the official Chinese government reports. Reconciling the two can be tricky.
The situation isn’t any easier for Chinese journalists. China’s propaganda departments have warned domestic news outlets against conducting their own independent reporting on sensitive Xinjiang stories, ordering them to reprint official stories from China’s major state news agencies.
It is very difficult to verify reports from Xinjiang, reports the BBC’s Celia Hatton.
Foreign journalists are allowed to travel to the region but frequently face intimidation and harassment when attempting to verify news of ethnic rioting or organised violence against government authorities.”
via BBC News – China’s Xinjiang hit by deadly clashes.
See also: https://chindia-alert.org/prognosis/chinese-challenges/
16/04/2013
* 10 Maoists killed in encounter on Andhra, Chhattigarh border: Police
Times of India: “At least 10 Maoists were killed in a gun battle between security forces and the rebels in Kanchal forests close to the inter-state border of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in tribal Bastar region on Tuesday morning, police said.
Preliminary reports said a joint team of Greyhounds-the elite commando force of Andhra Pradesh-and Chhattisgarh police had a fierce encounter for three hours between 0400 and 0700 hours under Pamed police station area in Bijapur district. Security forces claimed that they have gunned down 10 rebels during the encounter in which a large number of rebels were injured.
It’s not immediately known whether the bodies of slain rebels were recovered by the forces as the Maoists usually take away the bodies of their demand comrades. However, police said they have recovered arms and ammunitions, including INSAS and .303 rifles, from the encounter spot.”
via 10 Maoists killed in encounter on Andhra, Chhattigarh border: Police – The Times of India.
Related articles
- Maoist who was freed after Collector abduction, arrested (thehindu.com)
- Condemn the cold blooded killing of ten Maoist cadres in a joint covert operation by the police and TPC in Chatra, Jharkhand! (democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.com)
- Dramatic events precede arrest of Maoist leader (thehindu.com)
16/04/2013
* China issues white paper on national defense
China Daily: “China on Tuesday issued a white paper on national defense elaborating its new security concept and peacetime employment of armed forces.
The document, the eighth of its kind issued by the Chinese government since 1998, says China advocates a new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, and pursues comprehensive security, common security and cooperative security.
“China will never seek hegemony or behave in a hegemonic manner, nor will it engage in military expansion,” the white paper says.
According to the document, China will build a strong national defense and powerful armed forces which are “commensurate with China’s international standing and meet the needs of its security and development interests.”
The paper warns that China still faces multiple and complicated security threats and challenges.
The issues of subsistence and development security and traditional and non-traditional threats to security are interwoven, the document says.
“Therefore China has an arduous task to safeguard its national unification, territorial integrity and development interests,” it says.
The paper elaborates on the country’s diversified employment of the armed forces in peaceful times, saying that it responds to China’s core security needs and aims to maintain peace, contain crises and win wars.
Chinese armed forces are employed to safeguard borders, coastal and territorial air security and they will strengthen combat-readiness and combat-oriented exercises and drills, it says.
And they will readily respond to and resolutely deter any provocative action which undermines China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
Transparency move
In this paper, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for the first time reveals the actual number of army, navy and air force servicemen, designations of its army combined corps and the main missile lineup.
China now has about 850,000 army servicemen in 18 combined corps and additional independent combined operational divisions (brigades), according to the paper.
The combined corps, composed of divisions and brigades, are respectively under seven military area commands.
Currently, the PLA Navy has a total strength of 235,000 officers and men, and commands three fleets — the Beihai Fleet, the Donghai Fleet and the Nanhai Fleet.
The PLA Air Force now has about 398,000 officers and men and an air command in each of the seven military area commands of Shenyang, Beijing, Lanzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. In addition, it boasts one airborne corps.
The PLA Second Artillery Force, the country’s core force for strategic deterrence, is composed of nuclear and conventional missile forces and operational support units, according to the paper.
It is equipped with a series of “Dong Feng” ballistic missiles and “Chang Jian” cruise missiles.
It also has under its command missile bases, training bases, specialized support units, academies and research institutions.”
via China issues white paper on national defense |Politics |chinadaily.com.cn.
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