BEIJING // China carried out security checks on 10,000 pigeons before releasing them in a ceremony in Tiananmen Square to mark the country’s 65th National Day.
The birds underwent unusual scrutiny, each having its feathers and anus checked for dangerous materials, state-run media reports said, reflecting government jitters over possible attacks.
The symbols of peace were released at sunrise on Wednesday in Beijing’s symbolic heart of Tiananmen Square in a ceremony for the October 1 holiday to celebrate the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Beijing police officer Guo Chunwei said in the Jinghua Times that workers checked the wings, legs and anus of each pigeon ahead of time to ensure they were "not carrying suspicious material".
The entire process was videotaped, and the birds were then loaded into sealed vehicles for the trip to Tiananmen Square, the newspaper said.
The reports – which did not say what the suspicious materials might be – drew amused and derisive responses from some Chinese readers.
Many news sites, including Beijing News, later deleted the reports. The security measures reflect heightened concern about violence following a string of attacks blamed on separatist militants from the country's ethnic Uighur Muslim minority, as well as bus explosions and random slashing attacks.
Last October, three Uighurs in a vehicle rammed through crowds in front of Tiananmen Gate in central Beijing and set off explosives in an attack that killed themselves and three bystanders.
Beijing authorities also are sending police helicopters to monitor highway checkpoints, ring roads within the city, major intersections and areas with heavy traffic, including popular tourist spots such as the Great Wall and the Summer Palace, reported Beijing News.
The capital also has mobilised 850,000 citizen volunteers to help keep a lookout in the city of about 20 million people.
*Associated Press