Xinjiang party boss Zhang Chunxian calls for hard and soft lines to tackle terror
Region's party bosscalls for tough approach on extremism and better handling of local grievances in visit to scene of attack last year
Xinjiang's party boss is pushing a hard and soft line to tackle terrorism in the region, calling for better public education and handling of local grievances alongside a tough crackdown on extremists.
Visiting Turpan, the scene of deadly violence last year, Zhang Chunxian, the region's Communist Party chief, said religious leaders in Xinjiang should ward off extremism and local governments should "seriously reflect" on their past efforts against terrorism. The region should also improve its capacity to prevent terror attacks, he said.
Zhang's remarks came ahead of the release of a white paper yesterday by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, which vowed to play a special role in safeguarding unification and in cracking down on violent terrorist crimes.
The corps said it faced a crucial task to maintain Xinjiang's "lasting peace and stability".
Zhang spent Thursday and Friday in Turpan, where a series of attacks in Shanshan county on June 26 last year killed 35 people, and caused 2.13 million yuan (HK$2.69 million) in property losses.
A local court imposed sentences of between 25 years in prison and death on the Uygur attackers in September 2013.
"A tough hand is needed to crack down, and a tough hand is also needed for education and channelling [people away from extremism]," Xinjiang Daily quoted Zhang as saying.