Xinjiang Party chief on top of terrorists' wanted list
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-10 07:09

BEIJING -- The 64-year-old Wang Lequan appears amiable answering questions from Chinese and foreign journalists, but when talking about terrorists, the Party chief of far northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region raised his voice.

Wang Lequan, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee of the CPC [file]

"Those terrorists, saboteurs and secessionists are to be battered resolutely, no matter who they are," vowed the official on the sidelines of the national parliamentary session on Sunday.

Wang, who joined the Communist Party of China in 1966, worked all the way up as Party leader from community to provincial level in his hometown Shandong of eastern China.

Moved to Xinjiang in 1991 to witness the peak of rampancy of terrorists in that decade, the indignant Wang could tell a slew of stories of their atrocity.

In 1995, an imam of the biggest mosque in Kashi was stabbed when he just stepped out of home, but was fortunately saved.

In the nation-shocking bus blasts on February 25 1997 in Urumqi, nine people were killed and 68 others seriously injured. In the following half a year, many citizens would rather walk than take buses.

Counting with his fingers, Wang said the list could go on and on.

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The man was called a hardliner against terrorist by the press and said in a recent media interview that he is actually on top of a terrorists' most wanted list.

"I am an eyesore to them, but I don't feel surprised at all," he said, "It would be too weird if I'm not. There is nothing to fear; we just need to be vigilant."

"The 'three evil forces' usually attempt to deceive the world under the name of ethnic and religious causes," he said. "People should not be fooled."

Looking into the forthcoming Olympic Games this August, Wang felt a greater responsibility.

"The Olympic Games is a big event, but there are always a few people who conspire sabotages. It is no longer a secret now," he said while pledging tougher policies.

"We are prepared to strike whenever their conspiracies are detected," he said firmly.