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Nation mourns Kunming victims
Hundreds of mourners gathered on March 2 outside Kunming Railway Station, scene of a brutal terror attack that left at least 29 dead and more than 130 injured on the evening of March 1.

Anti-terrorism law needed urgently: experts
Majority believe terrorists seek foreign support: poll

Details

Time: 9:20 pm on March 1 Location: Kunming Railway Station in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province Casualties: 29 civilians were confirmed dead and 143 others injured as of 5 am, March 2. Suspects: Evidence at the scene showed that the attack was carried out by Xinjiang separatist forces. Investigation: Police say more than 10 terrorist suspects attacked people with knives at the square and ticket hall of Kunming Railway Station. Police shot dead at least four attackers and arrested one. It was an organized, premeditated violent terrorist attack.

Govt Response

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the law enforcement to investigate and solve the case of Kunming terrorist attack with all-out efforts and punish the terrorists in accordance with the law.

Xi has assigned officials, including Meng Jianzhu, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Guo Shengkun, Chinese state councilor and minister of public security, to go to Yunnan to guide work and visit injured civilians and relatives of the victims. [Read more]

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang asked local authorities to chase and punish the suspects severely, and public security departments at all levels to strengthen prevention and control measures to guarantee the safety of public places.

Meng Jianzhu, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, called for a sweeping check-up for hidden risks regarding violent terrorist attacks, urging to step up patrols at crowded places and harshly crack down on violent crimes to improve the sense of security among the public. Meng visited the crime scene at the station square and also went to hospital to visit injured civilians and families of the deceased in the terrorist attack. [Read more]

The minister of public security, Guo Shengkun, is also in Kunming to guide investigation work. [Read more]

Local officials rushed to the scene to organize and direct the follow-up work.

More reports:
Chinese leadership urges arrest and punishment of terrorists
China's lawmakers, political advisors urge harsh crackdown after Kunming terrorist attack

Intl Concerns

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on March 1 condemned "in the strongest terms the terrible attack today on civilians at the railway station in Kunming" in Southwest China, expressing his hope that "those responsible will be brought to justice." [Read more]

France strongly condemned the bloody attack that occurred Saturday at a train station in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming, French Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

"France offers its condolences to the victims' families and expresses its solidarity with Chinese government and people," the ministry said in a statement. [Read more]

More reports:
International community condemns terrorist attack in China
International community shows no tolerance to terrorist violence: Chinese envoy
Germany strongly condemns brutal attack in Southwest China
UN Security Council slams terrorist attack in Southwest China
Palestinian Fatah Party condemns terrorist attack in China
Pakistan condemns terrorist attack in China
EU condemns terrorist attacks in China

Commentary

Media Comments:
Xinhua: Nothing justifies civilian slaughter in China's '9-11'
It also showed a shift in their attack strategies from targeting symbols of the government, such as public security stations and police vehicles, to roadside civilians.

Anyone attempting to harbor and provide sympathies for the terrorists, calling them the repressed or the weak, is encouraging such attacks and helping committing a crime.

Xinhua: Striking terrorism with zero tolerance
An undisguised challenge against human nature and peace, the terror, however, can never shake our resolve -- terrorism that targets civilians in any form and at anywhere should be cracked down without hesitation.

Blind hatred would do nothing good but make things even worse. We will definitely not be made a cat's paw. We will not make the terrorist violence a free recruitment advertisement for them.

Global Times: Iron fist needed to fight against violent terror
The Kunming attack comes as China is gearing up for the annual two sessions. The terrorists are aiming to create bigger threats and chaos. But the whole of society is unified to fight against these deadly assaults. This is the mainstream public opinion toward terrorism in China, which won't be undermined by any external support for Xinjiang terrorists.

Global Times: Kunming attack shows spread of terror threat
Anti-terrorism is no longer just a top-down endeavor led by the central government, but requires more strength and involvement from local governments and the grass roots. A lack of vigilance and precautions will probably allow attacks to recur.

Voices:
● The 11th Panchen Lama on March 2 condemned the mass stabbing at a train station in Southwest China's Kunming city that left 29 civilians dead.

"Those who claim the lives of themselves, or others, or any living creatures are bound for severe punishment for generation after generation. Those who make every effort to protect the lives and property of the public, regardless of their own safety, have immeasurable merits and virtues," he said.

● The Kunming terrorist attack was shocking, cruel and inhumane, Huang Changyuan, vice-chairman of the Xinjiang committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), told the People’s Daily.

Huang suggested that this inhumane and violent act was politically motivated rather than a result of ethnic tensions. China should not only focus on anti-terrorism and public security efforts, but also strive to improve the lives of Xinjiang residents.
Source: official Sina Weibo account of the People’s Daily

● Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, pointed out that the terrorists targeted Kunming because it is relatively unprepared for dealing with terrorist attacks when compared to cities such as Beijing or Urumqi.
Source: ifeng.com

● Yang Shu, director of Institute for Central Asian Studies at Lanzhou University, noted this is not the first time terrorists have targeted cities outside Xinjiang. However, previously planned attacks had less impact because they were either thwarted before being executed or not reported by the media.

Yang said the attackers are Islamic extremists, a group which has become a global concern in recent years. He also pinpointed that the terrorists exploit existing religious rifts and ethnic tensions to strengthen their cause.
Source: ifeng.com

Preparedness

How to survive a violent attack: 1. Do not stand and watch. 2. If unable to flee, try to hide behind a tall building or barrier and get down on the ground. 3. Try not to scream out in fear or upset the attacker. 4. Calm down and wait for the first opportunity to flee the scene. 5. Do not take photos or post messages of the incident. 6. Do your best to adapt to the situation. Source: Official Sina Weibo account of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau

How to survive a hostage situation: 1. Stay calm, don’t resist and wait for rescuers. 2. Try to hide any communication tools. Turn your phone to silent mode and attempt to text message police (110). The message should include information about your location, the number of hostages and attackers. 3. Remember the number of attackers and try to identify their leader. This will be useful for police investigation afterwards. 4. When rescuers arrive, quickly get down on the ground and wait for police to escort you from the scene. Source: Official Sina Weibo account of Security Administration Office of Ministry of Public Security

Photos

Order at Kunming station restored to normal after terrorist attack	Unidentified armed men storm into Kunming Railway Station

For more:
The injured in Kunming terrorist attack receive medical treatment
Kunming citizens queue up to donate blood for the injured
Volunteers donate blood for victims of Kunming terrorist attack

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