Chinese Province's Residents Forced to Give Passports to Police

voanews ^

[BenLurkin]

Chinese authorities have been confiscating passports of residents of northwest Xinjiang province, claiming the measure serves to combat terrorism.

Their confiscated passports will be held by police.

"Anyone who needs the passport must apply to the police station," a police official told the Global Times, a state-funded newspaper, on Thursday. But he assured residents that people without criminal backgrounds would not be affected and would be able to easily get their passports back should they need to travel.

Anyone with criminal or "suspicious" records, however, may not be able to go abroad, the Global Times reported.

Human Rights Watch condemned the new policy in a statement, claiming the government had no credible threat on which to base it.

Many of the Muslim minority in Xinjiang say they face discrimination. New policies aside, getting a passport is more difficult in Xinjiang than in other parts of China, given Beijing's anti-terrorism campaign there.

Xinjiang has a large Muslim population. The region borders Pakistan, Afghanistan and northwestern India and is seen as a front in China's battle against terrorism and religious extremism.

[gunsequalfreedom]

“Anyone with criminal or “suspicious” records, however, may not be able to go abroad, the Global Times reported.”

Now there is a welcome change and a responible position:commit a crime and we don’t let you go to other countries.

[Fai Mao]

It sounds like they don’t want Islamiacs going off to get training in Pakistan.

[goldstategop]

Every Chinese citizen and resident foreigner must carry an internal passport.

In some regions of China, the police can hold them, which puts the person affected under house arrest.

HRW should understand one has to obey the laws of one’s country. And people who violate it face severe punishment.

[Fai Mao]

I lived in China. In fact I got my PhD in Wuhan and lived there 5 years. While what you say is technically true it is not in practice quite that draconian. I never had any real issue in everyday life there except when I was robbed and had to prove who I am. The law is just simply not enforced and people are, in the vast majority of the time free to go about their business without fear of the state.

The ID requirements in China seemed to less stringent than Hong Kong where I lived for 15 years where you can be, and I was, ticketed for not having my HKID (I left the wallet in the desk at work) when the HK police randomly stopped the buss I was riding and demanded that everyone produce an official ID.