Restive Xinjiang: Metro riders need to show ID to buy tickets
BEIJING: Commuters planning a ride on the first metro line in the Chinese city of Urumqi in Xinjiang will have to show identification documents to buy tickets, the latest addition to a long list of intrusive restrictions in the restive region, rights activists said.
Though mandatory for long-distance train rides across China, Urumqi is the first city where real name registration will be required to buy a ticket for an intra-city train ride when the new line is fully operational.
Home to millions from the Uyghur Muslim community, the province is under a tight security blanket in response to what Chinese government says are incidents of militancy and religious extremism.
Hundreds have been killed in Xinjiang in ethnic violence between Uyghurs and the majority Han community. Government offices and police stations have been targeted.
The government blames extremists for the violence and says separatist forces are at work in the province.
For authorities, the requirement of identity papers will add another layer of security.
According to the Associated Press, the rule — passed by the Xinjiang legislature on Sunday — allows for fines of up to 200 yuan ($32) for those without valid tickets or who use other’s IDS to buy tickets once the train begins running.
The new rule, activists say, will apply to all who decide to take the metro – and not just Uyghurs. But the regulation indicates a tightening of surveillance in the province.