September 14, 2009 2:56 PM
Filed Under: Beijing, China
BEIJING – After a short summer break, I returned to Beijing to find the city under siege.
At least that’s how it looks these days – two weeks before the National Holiday on Oct. 1 to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
As I rode through central Beijing over the weekend, an armored vehicle was poised on the corner of the Dongsishitiao roundabout. A soldier was sitting on top of it, wearing a balaclava and with a machine gun at the ready. Pedestrians stopped, stared, and then took photos with their cell phones.
Police checkpoints now ring Beijing’s outskirts, monitoring traffic from the surrounding provinces and inspecting vehicles entering the capital. Busloads of troops have been unloading around the city. And jets screamed across a beautifully clear sky over Tiananmen Square on Saturday morning.
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| Adrienne Mong / NBC News |
| With increased security in Beijing, some officials who are new to the city try to find their bearings. |
The square itself, the Forbidden City opposite it, and the major road arteries flowing south of Chang'an Avenue – which bisects the capital – were all closed to the public this past weekend.
What sounded like half-hearted fireworks sputtered through the late evening near the Workers' Stadium, but with the high visibility of soldiers and police, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was gunfire.
A party for the Party
In short, authorities here are taking no chances.
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http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/09/14/2068376.aspx
