Region in China’s restive Xinjiang orders tracking of vehicles as anti-terror measure
Bayingol prefecture says cars are both a means of transport and potential weapon for terrorists
Chinese authorities have ordered all motor vehicles in Bayingol prefecture in far western Xinjiang to be installed with mandatory satellite tracking devices, in the latest tough anti-terror measure targeting the ethnically divided region.
China has been stepping up already tight security in restive Xinjiang after a rise in violence in recent months.
Hundreds have been killed in Xinjiang in the past few years, mostly in unrest between the Muslim Uygur people, who call the region home, and the ethnic majority Han Chinese. Beijing blames the unrest on Islamist militants.
“Cars are the main transportation means for terrorists, and are also a frequently chosen tool to carry out terrorist attacks,” the Bayingol traffic police department said in a post on its official Weibo microblog account on February 4.
All vehicles will be required by June 30 to install GPS-style tracking devices connected to China’s proprietary Beidou navigation satellite, “so they can be tracked wherever they go”, the state-run Global Times reported on Tuesday.
It would also help car owners find their vehicles quickly if they are stolen by terrorists, the report said.