Celebration rehearsal to close parts of capital
A huge rehearsal for the forthcoming celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic will close parts of Beijing on Saturday.
An estimated 200,000 people - mainly college students - will take part in a mass pageant on Changan Avenue on Saturday afternoon, the China News Service reported.
The rehearsal will be split into three parts, but the report did not say whether it would include a much- anticipated military parade.
Beijing has promised to 'wow the world' with a massive display of its troops and most advanced armaments. The semi-official China Review yesterday listed a number of distinctive features of the parade, which it said looked set to be the best in the nation's history, and would include new fighter jets and missiles.
Security in downtown areas was expected to be beefed up, while local authorities have said dozens of major streets and tourist attractions affected by the rehearsal would be closed to the public on Saturday.
Part of Changan Avenue, which has just undergone a facelift, will be closed to traffic from 8pm tomorrow.
Traffic authorities in the city have issued a notice about restrictions, warning locals and tourists to avoid the areas during the rehearsal.
The restrictions are expected to be lifted on Sunday morning.
Beijing has intensified its preparations for celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary on October 1, with a sweeping security clampdown in force in and around the capital. Police have been cracking down on violent crimes since March in the lead-up to the big day.
More than 50,000 guns and nearly 900 tonnes of explosives have been confiscated in the past five months by police across the mainland, with nearly 10,000 suspects arrested for gun-related crimes, the Ministry of Public Security said this week. More than 3,300 people have been arrested in a campaign against prostitution.
The capital reactivated the blanket security plan used for last year's Olympics, with checkpoints set up on all main roads surrounding and leading into Beijing. More than 800,000 local residents have been recruited by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau this month for a two-month crime-watch campaign in an attempt to boost public security.
Security officers across the country have also been mobilised in an effort to stop petitioners and other potential troublemakers from going to the capital, the Henan Business News reported.
State media reported that troops and more than 100,000 students taking part in the parade were finishing their intensive training sessions in 'parade villages' in the suburbs.
A series of closed-door rehearsals have been held in past weeks at training sites that resemble Tiananmen Square and Changan Avenue, state television reported. A special reviewing stand was set up.
