Top Chinese leader Luo Gan Wednesday urged law enforcement officers and armed police in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to crack down on criminals to create a safer environment for economic growth and social progress.

The general situation in Xinjiang is very good, said Luo, but he called on officials at all levels to "be prepared for danger in times of safety" and "keep a clear mind."

The so-called "three evil forces" separatism, extremism and terrorism are held responsible for many of the region's problems.

The Ministry of Public Security said earlier this month that in the past two decades, more than 260 terrorist acts have been committed in Xinjiang, causing 160 deaths and 440 injuries. The ministry labelled "East Turkistan" forces as the main terrorist threat to China.

Luo urged armed police to "keep improving their abilities of dealing with emergent events and fighting against terrorism as well as increasing combat and defense capabilities."

The People's Liberation Army in Xinjiang must push forward modernization and shoulder the responsibility for safeguarding stability in the region, said Luo, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

Luo is leading a 61-member delegation of central government officials to Xinjiang for celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the autonomous region, which falls on National Day, October 1.

The delegation yesterday visited soldiers, armed police, law enforcement officers and staff from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp and PetroChina Company, to extend greetings from the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

The majority-Muslim Xinjiang is home to nearly 20 million people, more than 60 percent of them considered ethnic minorities.

(China Daily September 29, 2005)