Tight security as torch reaches Xinjiang
18 June 2008
The Olympic torch arrived in Urumqi, the capital of China's western Xinjiang region, on Tuesday, accompanied by a heavy security presence, AP reported. Onlookers lining the torch route were handpicked by authorities, who were keen to ensure the event wasn't marred by any displays of anti-China defiance. Armed police and sniffer dogs also patrolled the Muslim areas of the city. Although the domestic leg of the torch relay has been trouble-free, Beijing is concerned about potential unrest as the Olympic flame passes through Xinjiang and Tibet. Members of Xinjiang's Uighur minority have long sought independence from China, and a number have received long jail terms on separatism charges. So far this year, the Chinese government claims to have foiled several plots by Xinjiang separatists targeting the games.