Violence struck in Western China as Beijing
prepares for this week’s opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics. The attack occurred
in the city of Kashgar, which is 2,500 miles
from Beijing, and
claimed the lives of 16 police. The violence is being blamed on the East Turkestan
Islamic Movement.
The organizing committee of the Olympics is reassuring athletes
and spectators that they will be safe during the Games. Beijing will have an unprecedented amount of
security on hand, including 100,000 police and soldiers on standby ahead of
Friday's opening ceremony.
There are other problems besides violence facing this week’s
Games. Hotel rooms are cutting prices due to lack of expected demand, thousands
of prospective attendees have fallen prey to Internet ticket scams and Beijing’s famous smog is back
after three days of clear weather.
