Xinjiang authorities to hand out 300m yuan in rewards after manhunt
Hundreds of million of yuan to be distributed to civilians who helped police catch 10 suspects, government says
More than 300 million yuan (HK$377 million) will be handed out to civilians who helped authorities track down 10 suspected terrorists, the Xinjiang government said on Sunday.
State media reported police received information from locals in Moyu county in Hotan prefecture around noon last Friday. Villagers spotted the suspects, whom police had identified on July 27, in a corn field in the town of Purgakqi.
According to the report, more than 30,000 civilians volunteered to help the police chase the suspects to an abandoned house. The surrounded group threw explosives at the crowd, and the police fired back, killing nine of the suspects, state media said. One other was arrested. No civilians were injured, according to Xinhua.
Police said more than 70 civilians had provided information in the manhunt. Six people who offered key information received 100,000 yuan each at a ceremony held in Hotan prefecture on Sunday. Those rewards were part of more than 4 million yuan given to individuals and organisations who helped in the operation. In total more than 300 million would be handed out, the government said.
Xinjiang has been offering rewards to encourage civilians to provide leads on terrorist activities since a crackdown was launched in May in response to an increase in violence in the region.
Last Monday, armed assailants attacked police and government offices in Shache, near Kashgar, the government said. It said 37 civilians and 59 “terrorists” were killed in the clashes.
Last Wednesday, Jume Tahir, a high-profile pro-Beijing imam in Kashgar, was killed by three men.
