CHINA: China denounces a knife attack that injured six people at a railway station in its south, and vows to ensure social safety and stability

Record ID: 354911

  • Title: CHINA: China denounces a knife attack that injured six people at a railway station in its south, and vows to ensure social safety and stability
  • Date: 6th May 2014
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (MAY 6, 2014) (REUTERS) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN HUA CHUNYING WALKING UP TO PODIUM MEDIA SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN HUA CHUNYING SAYING: "At present, the Chinese police are investigating the relevant case. I believe they will publish the investigation results in a timely manner. What I want to stress is t
  • Embargoed: 21st May 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA30QRGMPHJFMQ0LLAMW9V96C36
  • Story Text: China on Tuesday (May 6) condemned a knife attack that wounded six people at a railway station in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou and pledged to take strong measures to ensure social safety.
    At least two and as many as four attackers wielding long knives injured six people in an attack at a railway station on Tuesday, police and state media said, the latest in a series of such assaults that have raised jitters around the country.
    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said attacks against innocent people were "unacceptable" and must be punished by law.

    "At present, the Chinese police are investigating the relevant case. I believe they will publish the investigation results in a timely manner. What I want to stress is that no matter what reason it is for or no matter who it is, it's unacceptable to harm the innocent people with violence. It's also a criminal activity that should be punished by law," Hua told a regular news conference in Beijing.
    Police gave no reason for the attack, but China's nervousness about Islamic militancy has grown since a car burst into flames on the edge of Beijing's Tiananmen Square in October and 29 people were stabbed to death in March in the southwestern city of Kunming.
    The government blamed militants from the restive far-western region of Xinjiang for both those attacks. Resource-rich and strategically located Xinjiang, on the borders of central Asia, has for years been beset by violence blamed by the Chinese government on Islamist militants.
    China also blamed religious extremists for a bomb and knife attack at a train station in Urumqi, regional capital of Xinjiang, last week that killed one bystander and wounded 79.
    Hua said the government is determined to ensure the public's safety.

    "In terms of recent violent attacks, I believe you have noticed that Chinese government is determined to take strong and effective measures to earnestly protect social stability and ensure safety of people's lives and properties," Hua added.
    Guangzhou police "arrived quickly on the scene" on Tuesday and shot one of the attackers. The official Nanfang Daily said another suspect had been caught by police after fleeing the scene.
    They did not identify the attackers.
    City newspaper the Guangzhou Journal wrote on its microblog that the attackers carried half-metre (20-inch) knives, wore white clothes, including white hats, and launched their assault as passengers were leaving the station.
    Some other reports on Chinese media outlets' microblogs said there were four attackers in total.
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