China warns of Olympics unrest

By Chris Buckley

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Olympics are threatened by sabotage and unrest, a senior Chinese security official said in remarks reported on Friday, as authorities sacked officials after a riot in which a police headquarters was set ablaze.

The trouble in Guizhou province in the southwest on Saturday erupted despite China's determination to quell any signs of unrest ahead of next month's Games in Beijing.

Vice Minister of Public Security Yang Huanning told police officials that the Games would be a target for forces hostile to China's ruling Communist Party.

"The current international and domestic situation is full of complications," Yang told the meeting, according to the People's Public Security News.

"Especially as the Beijing Olympic Games draw near, a range of anti-China forces and hostile forces are striving by any means and redoubling efforts to engage in troublemaking and sabotage."

Yang, recently appointed to his post and called an "anti-terror expert" by official media, issued orders at a separate meeting to minimize the flow of aggrieved citizens journeying to Beijing to press petitions over official abuses, the China News Service reported.

China has taken sweeping steps to prevent any protests or violence during the Games, which begin on August 8. The restive regions of Tibet and Xinjiang have been a particular target.

SACKINGS  Continued...