Source: `Sing Tao Jih Pao', Hong Kong, in Chinese 5 Mar 97 p A5

Text of Hong Kong newspaper `Sing Tao Jih Pao' report by Kuang Tung-chou (6782 0681 5297): "Beijing and Lanzhou military regions placed on alert; some armed police and anti-riot units have been sent to back up local military forces and police in Xinjiang and Tibet"; passage in bold as published:

The Central Military Commission [CMC] has issued a document, calling on officers and men of the whole army to heighten their vigilance to prevent overseas hostile elements from creating disturbances in Xinjiang in a move to split the motherland.

A few days ago, the CMC under the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] Central Committee issued an order to the Beijing Military Region and the Lanzhou Military Region to upgrade the state of alert to No 2. Armed police forces, public security units and the army in the Xinjiang and Tibet regions have been placed on No 1 alert. Some armed police and anti-riot mobile units have been transferred from other regions to back up local military forces and police in Xinjiang and Tibet. The CMC has issued a document, calling on officers and men of the whole army to heighten their vigilance to prevent overseas hostile elements from creating disturbances in Xinjiang in a move to split the motherland.

The document also calls on officers and men of the whole army to unite closely around the CCP Central Committee headed by Jiang Zemin, obey the orders of the CMC, heighten their vigilance, stand fast at their posts, and deal a resolute blow at the plot of a handful of ethnic splittist elements and overseas hostile forces to split the nation, undermine nationality solidarity, and incite social unrest to safeguard our national security and territorial integrity.

The document has also been distributed to the relevant armed police units. At present, armed police units in the whole country have been placed on full alert. Public security and armed police units are acting under orders to strengthen security work in areas inhabited by minority nationalities, stations, ferries, and various public places to guard against unrest which might possibly occur following the death of Deng Xiaoping.

At present, the situation in Xinjiang is still calm. Media in Xinjiang and throughout the mainland have received orders not to publish any reports on the recent bomb explosions in Xinjiang. To date the authorities have not issued any document to officials at all levels on the bomb explosions in Xinjiang following the death of Deng Xiaoping. At the end of last year, the Xinjiang leadership stratum submitted Document No 7 on anti-splittist activities to the central authorities. At present, officials in Xinjiang are studying this document.

According to well-informed sources, the entire city of Xinjiang [as published] is still calm except for one or two bomb explosions. The order of life and production is normal. Large-scale disturbances have not yet occurred. Residents are indignant at such terrorist acts, and hope that the government will suppress them rigorously.