Terrorist Bus Bombing in City Downtown in China

China is on alert due to a terrorist bus bombing.

A terrorist bus bombing occurred on a main street in front of the Peoples` Government Office in the city of Guangzhou (廣州) in southern Guangdong(廣東) on the 30th of last month, killing at least 4 persons. There was a bus bombing on the 28th in Guangzhou (廣州), in which the identity of the terrorists and the victims are not yet known.

The Chinese press reported that the terrorist attacks were for political purposes as the successive attacks occurred when the People`s Convention (local government) and the political negotiation meeting of Canton were under way.

This attack is similar to the bus bombing at Xidan commercial area in Beijing in March 1997, in which 11 persons were killed or injured. The `East Turkistan Liberty Union` which is an Islamic separatist organization in Xinjiang (新疆), was suspected for the atttack.

The press stated that it is an attack on China. Authorities have made extensive arrests of the separatists in Xinjiang.

Farmers facing hardships in life are increasingly targeting buses and hospitals for attack.

A farmer in Lunsui (冷水) city in Hunan (湖南) province installed a bomb on a bus and killed and injured 25 persons early this year. Terrorist bombings at Xian (西安) city in Shanxi(陝西) province, and Zhanjiang (湛江) city and Jianmen (江門) city in Guandong province injured dozens of people in December last year.

ljhzip@donga.com