Rescue & Aid

Police keep social order and safety

By Fu Jing and Wang Jingqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-20 07:30

GYEGU, Qinghai -- More than 100 detainees in the detention center of earthquake-hit Yushu prefecture have been safely transferred, with none killed in the earthquake or escaping during the transfer, a local armed police officer said on Monday.

"The only detention center in Yushu was badly damaged in the quake. Armed police responded quickly and protected the safety of all the detainees," Fan Yulong, chief of the armed police force in Yushu prefecture, told China Daily.

Fan assured the continuation of social stability in the quake-hit area, adding that local people in Yushu are very kind and honest and have been cooperating very well with rescue forces.

"Our soldiers and the local people are working hand in hand, and that's the foundation for stability," he said.

Ministry of Public Security spokesman Wu Heping said on Sunday in Beijing that the ministry had not received reports of severe public emergencies, accidents or crimes.

"A total of 470 anti-violence policemen have been sent to Yushu to work with local police to maintain social order, including traffic and people's safety," Wu said.

He said that among the 70 firefighters from neighboring Sichuan province helping out in quake relief, 40 are ethnic Tibetans, who are familiar with the local language and culture.