Upto 5 mn Yuan reward for terrorism tip-offs in China’s Xinjiang

by Kristin Huang in South China Morning Post, Apr 13, 2017, 10:34pm
A remote area in China’s Xinjiang is offering huge rewards to thwart terrorism, the latest authority in the region to give large cash incentives to help catch militants.
Altay, which is close to Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia, is offering up to 5 million yuan (US$725,000) for tip-offs, the prefecture’s police authority said in a statement on its social media account.
The rewards dwarf the 500,000 yuan rewards offered by the state security bureau in the capital Beijing to help catch foreign spies.
Xinjiang has been hit by a series of violent attacks in recent years which the authorities blame on Islamist separatist militants. The highest rewards will be given for information about terrorist attack plans that target government buildings, public venues or important events, the police statement said.
Whistle-blowers who report explosives or gun making will be offered up to 4 million yuan.
Information on terrorists entering or leaving China will get up to 3 million yuan and tip-offs on funding of terrorism overseas can earn up to 2 million yuan.
Even reports on illegal trading in “second-hand vehicles and liquified gas cans” can lead to rewards of 50,000 yuan.
The authorities in Hotan in Xinjiang announced in February that rewards of up to 5 million yuan would be offered to thwart terrorist attacks.
The announcement came after five people were killed and five severely injured in a knife attack in Pishan county in Hotan prefecture. The three attackers were shot dead by security forces.
Altay in northern Xinjiang is relatively peaceful and free of attacks compared with Hotan.
The authorities have launched a massive crackdown to try to stamp out separatism and terrorism in the region.
Xinjiang Communist Party chief Chen Quanguo has taken a series of security measures since he took office last year, including setting up a huge network of small police bases and restricting the travel of some residents.
Xinjiang’s spending on public security jumped 19.3 per cent last year to more than 30 billion yuan, according to China’s finance ministry.
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2087391/rewards-5-million-yuan-offered-terrorism-tip-offs