Reuters reports that the Chinese government is flooding Beijing with armed police and up to one million security “volunteers” to head off any unrest over October’s sensitive anniversary of 60 years of Communist Party rule.
Apparently the relentless security has even grounded pigeons. People living near the center of town are being told they cannot have guests to stay over the period, and to stock up on food in case they are stopped from going outside
Domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang, in remarks carried by the official Xinhua agency last week, called for a “people’s war” to ensure Beijing’s stability.
“I really have no idea what’s going on here. Nobody’s told us anything,” complained interior designer Xiao Yu, 26, as he sat in his car at a roadblock outside of Beijing. “It’s a real waste of my time.”
Reuters noted that a few brave souls have taken to the internet to express their frustrations in a country where overly critical public comments can attract unwanted attention from the government.
“Last year, there were security checks for the Olympics; this time, it’s for national day celebrations. Why there are so many annoying security checks?” wrote a blogger called Boluomi on the popular portal www.sina.com.cn.
Who knows, maybe the Chinese Communists will honor Thomas Friedman by selecting him as the anniversary’s grand parade marshal. After all, he recently praised their government as being “led by a reasonably enlightened group of people.”
