Happy Birthday Dear People's Republic Of China

[Anonymous]

From the ashes of Mao's brutal madness, the middle kingdom has made an incredible ascent in  a short period of time.



Happy 65th....you don't look a day over 27. ac_dance

http://img.freeflagicons.com/thumb/heart_icon/china/china_640.png">

[Romero]

Free as a bird? Not in China, where pigeons get 'anal security checks'



With pro-democracy protests raging in Hong Kong, terrorist attacks on the rise in Xinjiang, and crackdowns underway across the country, China's leadership may be feeling a bit on edge.



So as the ruling Communist party celebrates its National Day holiday on Wednesday – the anniversary of Mao Zedong declaring the People's Republic of China in 1949 – it has made clear that not even birds are free from scrutiny.



The People's Daily, a famously staid Communist party mouthpiece, tweeted a picture of a proud-looking dove above the caption: "10,000 pigeons go through anal security check for suspicious objects Tue, ready to be released on National Day on Wed". It did not explain what the "suspicious objects" might include.



The great pigeon inspection occurred at the Yuetan city sports centre in western Beijing on Tuesday evening, according to a brief report in the official newspaper Legal Evening News. The entire process was videotaped.



"Their wings, tail-feathers, even their anuses must be carefully checked," an unnamed state security officer told the paper. The birds were then loaded into sealed vehicles and delivered to Tiananmen Square, where authorities inspected them a second time.



At 6am on Wednesday, the birds were finally released, allowing them to "circle above the five-starred red flag overhead".



http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/01/free-bird-china-pigeons-anal-security-checks">//http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/01/free-bird-china-pigeons-anal-security-checks

[Anonymous]

^I actually read this on a Chinese language site. Funny stuff until a pigeon's ass blows up in your face. ac_lmfao  



Damned Xinjiangnese splittists ac_cool

The reports did not clarify what "suspicious objects" the inspectors were looking for, but security concerns are high following a spate of attacks that Beijing has blamed on separatist groups. The Uighurs, a Muslim minority in the western province of Xinjiang, have long sought greater autonomy from China, which has in turn stepped up its efforts to combat militants with raids and judicial crackdowns. Last week, the country jailed a Uighur advocate to life in prison for "inciting separatism." Violence has escalated in recent months, as well. Last year, an SUV drove into a crowd and burst into flames, killing five people; in March, 29 people were killed by a group of attackers in a Beijing train station. Officials blamed both attacks on separatist groups.



A Trojan pigeon attack may sound far-fetched, but it's not impossible, according to pigeon experts. "I have not heard of pigeons released at National Day requiring security checks, but it is possible for them to carry things such as explosives," a representative from the pigeon fan site China Pigeon Net told the New York Times. "They could carry something on their legs, under a wing, or in their anus.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/1/6877269/nervous-chinese-officials-search-pigeon-anuses-for-bombs">http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/1/68772 ... -for-bombs">http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/1/6877269/nervous-chinese-officials-search-pigeon-anuses-for-bombs

[Romero]

It's convenient to blame terrorism, but no one in their right mind would believe terrorists could infiltrate a secured area and take the time to insert explosives into 10,000 pigeons. Even if they could have, only the pigeons would explode. Poof - feathers everywhere! And what could have set the explosives off? No, it would be much, much more easier and likely just to suicide bomb.



It wasn't about terrorism. It was a message for the citizenry. This pretty well sums it up:

Members of the Chinese public responded with sarcasm because they see in the bird searches their own plight in what they consider an oppressive society with tight surveillance, censorship and judicial injustice, independent columnist Zhang Ping said in an editorial that was circulated on social media under his pen name, Changping.



"The liberty and dignity of citizens are increasingly vulnerable, and can be expropriated at any time, like with the pigeons," Zhang wrote. "They have to go through the pains and insults of the rude anal check and yet they must appear peaceful and happy on the screen of the state broadcaster."



http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-performs-cavity-search-on-doves-for-suspicious-material-1.2783580">//http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-performs-cavity-search-on-doves-for-suspicious-material-1.2783580

That's exactly it right there. There's a reason why this "security operation" was so publicized even though it didn't need to be publicized at all. At risk of embarrassment to the outside world, it was a not so subliminal message to the Chinese people.



Symbolically, those pigeons represented the people. Security + inspection + detainment = freedom. It was as ingenious as it was ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

What the CBC reported was the opinions of some people. The truth is that China has faced a lot of attacks and attempted attacks from terrorist/splittist groups. The same thing happens every major event back home. In the quest for security and stability, you got to hand it to the CCP, they will leave no stone unturned and nothing to chance.

The security measures reflect heightened concern about violence following a string of attacks blamed on separatist militants from the country's ethnic Uighur Muslim minority, as well as bus explosions and random slashing attacks attributed to disgruntled individuals.

Last October, three Uighurs in a vehicle rammed through crowds in front of Tiananmen Gate in central Beijing and set off explosives in an attack that killed themselves and three bystanders.

Beijing authorities also are sending police helicopters to monitor highway checkpoints, ring roads within the city, major intersections and areas with heavy traffic, including popular tourist spots such as the Great Wall and the Summer Palace, the Beijing News said.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2775936/China-body-searched-10-000-pigeons.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... geons.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2775936/China-body-searched-10-000-pigeons.html

I bet there are people in Madrid and London who wish their local and national security apparatus were as vigilant as China's.

[Romero]

Come on. Even the Chinese government knows that the idea of attaching or inserting 10,000 explosives into 10,000 pigeons is beyond ludicrous.



How would the terrorists set off the explosives? There would be no possible way. Tiny clocks or cell phones? Really long fuses?



Those poor pigeons would have just flown off with tiny explosives in their asses, and eventually die of constipation.

[Anonymous]

Come on. Even the Chinese government knows that the idea of attaching or inserting 10,000 explosives into 10,000 pigeons is beyond ludicrous.



How would the terrorists set off the explosives? There would be no possible way. Tiny clocks or cell phones? Really long fuses?



Those poor pigeons would have just flown off with tiny explosives in their asses, and eventually die of constipation.

This is nothing new for China. May seem extreme to Westerners, but they leave no stone unturned and spare no expense in keeping people safe at major events. Singapore is not far behind in their anti-terror works. Something I wish Western governments would take a little more seriously.

BEIJING — This is a parade that demands state-level security. Discipline. Extreme secrecy.



Ordinary people will not be allowed anywhere near the parade route in Beijing on Thursday, when the People's Republic of China marks the 60th anniversary of its founding with a military parade.



That applies even to people who live in the neighborhood: Entire apartment buildings along the route toward Tiananmen Square are being evacuated to prevent residents from watching. Cameras and binoculars are forbidden in many locales.



As the city prepares for the parade, Beijing feels more like a city under martial law than the dynamic capital that wowed the world during the 2008 Summer Olympics.



The more than 80,000 students marching in the parade have been forced to sign secrecy agreements that prohibit them from talking to reporters (Chinese and foreign alike), sending text messages or posting blogs or photographs of parade rehearsals.





Supermarkets have been ordered not to sell sharp knives, and the mailing of soap, toothpaste and liquids within Beijing is forbidden, apparently out of fear that they could be used to make explosives. SWAT teams with armored personnel carriers are stationed at key intersections.



People who live near the parade route are forbidden to have guests in their homes or use their balconies. Pigeon fanciers have been told to keep their birds grounded.



Even kite-flying has been banned since mid-September.

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/30/world/fg-china-parade30">http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/30 ... a-parade30">http://articles.latimes.com/2009/sep/30/world/fg-china-parade30