Domestic security to remain a challenge in 2010: police

• Source: Global Times
• [02:54 December 29 2009]
• Comments

By An Baijie

Preserving social stability will remain a major challenge in 2010 due to various domestic and foreign security challenges, said a senior police official.

Yang Huanning, vice minister of public security, said recently that the national security concerns next year would not diminish because social contradictions and problems remain an issue and anti-China forces are still rampant, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Yang spoke during the annual meeting held for the political and law workers December 18.

"The schemes of Western anti-China forces looking to Westernize and split us, friction and disputes between coun-tries, and hostile forces stirring up chaos and sabotage, remain major factors affecting our national security and social stability," Yang was quoted as saying by the Reuters.

Yang emphasized the importance of information collection and vowed "pre-emptive attacks" against hostile forces at home and overseas, including separatists, terrorists, religious extremists and members of the Falun Gong cult, said Xinhua.

Maintaining social stability of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Tibet Autonomous Region will be the top challenge next year, according to the report.

The Xinjiang public security department plan to recruit 1,000 additional special police officers this month, according to yaxin.com, a news website hosted by Xinjiang Economic Daily.

Yang stressed the establishment of special forces to better handle unexpected events.

Yang also called for better management of people who pose potential threats such as those with criminal records and terrorism inclinations, said Xinhua.

Describing the Internet as a battlefield, Yang attached great importance to the Internet in shaping public opinion and addressing concerns overseas.