China anniversary puts security jitters on show

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese government is flooding Beijing with armed police and up to one million security "volunteers" to head off any unrest over October's sensitive anniversary of 60 years of Communist Party rule.

The relentless security has grounded pigeons, lined streets with grandmothers, prompted warnings to stock up on food and left harried residents wondering who the festivities are really for.

The authorities are pulling out all the stops to ensure that when the world's third largest economy celebrates six decades of the People's Republic with a massive parade on October 1, nothing disrupts the party -- certainly not ordinary spectators.

Officials have been coy about what threats they fear but say they are not over-reacting, pointing to recent protests in the remote regions of Tibet and Xinjiang as a reminder that the country is vulnerable to security threats.

Even on Thursday, police arrested a man for stabbing two people to death and wounding a dozen a few minutes walk from central Tiananmen Square, Xinhua news agency said.

Domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang, in remarks carried by Xinhua last week, called for a "people's war" to ensure Beijing's stability.

One million "volunteers," many of them retirees working on Party-controlled neighborhood committees, will swarm through the city's streets to "guarantee security, communications and celebration activities," state-run Xinhua said.

Paramilitary police are also patrolling in greater numbers than usual, some of them armed.

The parade will feature military hardware and other trophies of China's growing strength and confidence.

But the many steps accompanying the celebrations underscore the Party's fear of any unrest that could challenge its authority, reminding citizens about who is in control.

LOCK UP YOUR PIGEONS

Barely a day goes by without new measures being promulgated, some of which border on the bizarre. Mailing liquids or powders, including soap and toothpaste, has been banned.

Any private tourist or leisure flights are also banned. Pigeon fanciers have been told to lock their birds in the coop.

On the day itself, when a mass military parade will pass through Tiananmen Square, residents whose houses line the parade route will be banned from opening their windows or going onto their balconies.

This is to "ensure the smooth progress of the National Day celebrations," according to one letter sent to residents.