A point of suspicion: the suspects were carrying Pakistani passports but were immediately offically identified as Uighurs. 1.How could this be possible? 2.Why was this declaration made? Why is it relevant at all? As far as I know thwarting a bombing is a law enforcement process, and there is no single Chinese law that discriminates based on the violator's ethnic origin.

So now China will have to return Pakistan as "long lost Chinese territory" and harmonize it by all means necessary.

@Chenduboy

Most Pakistanis are Caucasian, whereas most Uighurs are not.

@Chenduboy

Ni hao,Mr Kong Ming. I must say that I relish the chance to school the Sleeping Dragon.

I doubt Uighurs who briefly sneak across the border to Pakistan speaks fluent Urdu or whatever tribal language of Pakistan. China has language experts. One indian POW of 1962 war claimed that PLA has fluent Punjabi speakers to talk with the cpatives.

There are also matter of interrogation. Chinese security have their methods of truth extraction. I am sure few traditonal technique survived from my days? Btw, as any American POW of Vietnam war will tell you that everyone will talk after certain point, its matter of how much information you will reveal. The passport may be a cover for the operation. But I don't see much incentive for them to misrepresent their ethnicity after being caught.

This is a high profile case, so probably lot of resources are devoted to it. I am sure these two are being thoroughly investigated.

2. Two reason, the announcement are made.

1. to show there is genuine threat posed by Uighur terrorist/separatists.

2. Pakistan is a friendly nation even if not all its citizen are so friendly. Pakistan drag its feet to fight Taliban inside Pakistan despite America's insistence. But when Chinese nationals (unfortunate massage parlor workers) were hold hostage inside red mosque. Musharaf ordered an immediate siege and crack down.

actually it's really one reason is called PR.

now you see, Mr Sleeping Dragon, eve Cao A-Man could teach you sumthing, eh.

Fucilati ed espiantati
In Cina ai condannati a morte vengono espiantati gli organi per darli a ricchi cinesi. Un traffico che è stato documentato da un libro-inchiesta della Laogai Foundation e da un dvd di cui possiamo mostrarvi un estratto

http://espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio//2006989

Yang Jun è un medico cinese che oggi abita a San Francisco ma, quando viveva ancora nella provincia di Heilongjiang, aveva il compito di prelevare gli organi dai condannati a morte e trapiantarli nei pazienti del suo ospedale. La sua è una delle tante testimonianze che compaiono nel libro 'Cina, traffici di morte' curato dalla Laogai Foundation e appena edito in Italia da Guerini.

Si tratta di una approfondita e agghiacciante inchiesta, con dozzine di nomi ed episodi, su una delle pratiche più aberranti del sistema carcerario cinese: quella per cui ai condannati a morte vengono espiantati tutti gli organi utili (soprattutto reni, cornee e pancreas, ma anche cuore, fegato e polmoni) destinati a ricchi cinesi, gerarchi dell'apparato statale o cittadini benestanti residenti all'estero. In alcuni casi, documenta l'inchiesta, i reni vengono espiantati addirittura alcune ore prima dell'esecuzione, per assicurarsi che siano ben funzionanti.

Oppure accade che subito dopo la fucilazione i dottori iniettino nel condannato alcune sostanze per prolungare il battito cardiaco e consentire quindi agli organi di rimanere efficienti. A volte ai cadaveri vengono estratte anche le mandibole comprese di denti che verranno utilizzate a scopi didattici nei corsi universitari di odontoiatria. Nel libro-inchiesta parlano anche alcuni ex militari, che raccontano come siano stati addestrati a sparare un colpo preciso alla nuca per evitare danni agli organi espiantabili.

@info
That is no news at all. Everybody knows. If you have a way to deal with it, then you just do it. Don't spam.

@Meng De
I still wonder if this is a wise PR job.

Any word if the Chinese TSA (equivalent) agent got executed for letting the woman go by undetected at Urumqi Feijichang...3oz of liquid only PEOPLE!!! Didn't they get the memo?

Heard Xinjiang had an earthquake, where was the epicenter?

@Lucas: The epicenter was in Keriya (Yutian) southeast of Hotan (Hetian). It was a big quake at 7.3 on the Richter scale, but surprisingly there have been no reports of deaths or destruction.

Ah, the Xinjiang earthquate. Jesus must be showing his righteous anger against the East Turkestan separatists.

@ Cao Meng De,

Are you happy about the earthquake? Where is your humanity?

@heverci

I post it in jest. I apologize if it offended your sensibility.

To CaoMengDe: Then you would have to replace Jesus with Alah. Mr. Christ is totally innocent in this affair. ^_^

I find it a bit odd that all the news agencies are reporting the remarks made by Wang Lequan emphasizing the foreign origins of the hijacking attempt, but only Reuters is coming out with the Pakistan/Central Asia "details" from an anonymous source inside China.

since you've been in China for a couple of years already, I'd expect you to know something about Chinese "face" and how it affects the propaganda department operates.

Pakistan is a China ally, and the two country is on very friendly terms. If Xinhua came out declaring the terrorist has a Pakistani passport, it will embarrass Pakistan and cause Pakistan to "lose face". So the official media will sweep this inconvenient fact under the carpet.

With or without "face", other countries do the same thing,starting with your U.S.A.

U.S. never emphasized that the fact that 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were Saudi citizens, most people simply didn't know even with so-called free press and open media. It happened for a reason.

"
Most Pakistanis are Caucasian, whereas most Uighurs are not."

Most Pakistanis are dark Arabs, that is why they suck Islam.

Most Indians are Australoid, whereas most Uighurs are mixed Arab and Asians.

I believe "the hijacking" was made up.
Beijing need to make a reason not to allow Uyghurs to travel.

Chinese airline gives reward to crew for foiling reported terrorist attack
26 March 2008
Associated Press Newswires

BEIJING (AP) - China Southern Airlines has awarded $57,000 to a plane crew that foiled what a senior Communist official has described as an attempted terrorist attack, a state-owned newspaper said Wednesday.

At least one person was arrested after one or more passengers were found in possession of a "suspicious liquid" on board the March 7 flight to the Chinese capital from Urumqi, the capital of China's traditionally Muslim Xinjiang region.

China Southern Airlines offered $57,000 to staff who prevented the attack, the Beijing News reported Wednesday. It did not say how many crew members would be sharing the reward.

China's aviation regulator, the General Administration of Civil Aviation, said it did not know about the reward. China Southern Airlines could not immediately be reached for comment.

State media reported that a 19-year-old woman from western China's Turkic Muslim Uighur minority was detained after trying to set a fire in a bathroom aboard the China Southern flight.

The unidentified woman had drained soda cans, used a syringe to fill them with gasoline and poured the contents into the bathroom, next to the fuel-filled wings, the Global Times reported.

No one was injured and the plane was diverted to Lanzhou, in western Gansu province, before continuing on to Beijing.

Xinjiang's top Communist Party official, Wang Lequan, has said the failed plot was part of a terror campaign to turn the region into an independent nation called East Turkestan.

On Tuesday, Wang called on Xinjiang to boost its "fight against separatists" and educate the rest of the world on the "real condition" in the region, according to Xinjiang's official news Web site.

China has since stepped up security at its airports, on top of stringent security plans being put in place for the Olympic Games in August. Passengers are now banned from carrying any kind of liquid aboard domestic flights, and passenger and luggage searches are being increased.

I don't quite get what you're saying about Reuters' anonymous quote it's not like it's impossible for Reuters to get a quote that no other news agency will get, and they're not saying anything ridiculous because of it- they present the quote as another piece of information that have, and they present the official side of the story. News agencies often have sources their competitors don't have. That's what happened with Watergate- Deep Throat wasn't talking with just everyone. In addition, if someone wants to share this sort of information, it's not likely they'll be willing to give their name.
This doesn't mean that you should just believe everything Reuters tells you- but it's also pretty ridiculous to disregard it, unless you have a particularly good reason to disbelieve everything they say, and believe everything Wang Lequan says. Even if there's a "Western media bias" that covers all Western media I for one have yet to evidence that the CCP is a more reliable source of information.

Assume the cans are 12oz. two 12oz cans of gas. attempted to light one in the bathroom. but failed to. how hard is it to light gas with cigarette lighter or a match?

what's the plan? light a fire in the bathroom with 24 oz of gas and hope the fire gets large enough to set off fuel tanks in airplane.

so its a suicide attack, not a hijacking.

part of story that doesn't make sense is that she failed to light the gas.

also evaded security by going through first class boarding area doesn't make sense.

also aroused suspicion when she went back to get second can. how, due to their ability to read minds?

sounds like a story made up to entertain a gay 20 year old twinkie in LA with happy feet and lots of disposable income from his hard working immigrant parents.

clever part of plan as put forth was filling coke cans with gas. fuzzy logic part is how to create a big enough fire/explosion to dentonate planes gas tanks.

also what was the central asian man doing while the woman was attempting start a fire with can number 1? taking the meal service?

pretty lame suicide attempt.

i know in 2002 chinese airlines had strict controls about carrying canned or bottled liguids onboard flights "because of attempts by the Uighurs"

seems like the threat if real is rather inept and has a fondness for malatov cocktails that is easily thwarted.

if this is true as written then they are not very bright or not trying very hard.