10,000 people in autonomous region have given information to the authorities since May 2014 CUI

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region announced on Monday that it will offer the highest cash reward in China - up to 5 million yuan ($775,000) - for people providing key information about terrorist plotters.

The latest directive was issued by the regional government. Previously, similar directives listing cash rewards for terrorist-related tips were issued by local public security departments or legal bodies around China.

The directive said that people who provide inside and urgent key information on terrorist activities, including a planned attack, kidnapping, assassination, bombings or the destruction of important infrastructure, will receive a cash reward of between 200,000 and 5 million yuan.

First-time tipsters can also choose to work for the government or enjoy preferential policies in promotion and social security instead of the cash.

Zhang Chunxian, Party chief of Xinjiang, said on Monday that the measure aims to motivate people to get involved in Xinjiang's fight against terrorism.

About four months after a terrorist attack at a market in the Xinjiang regional capital, Urumqi, left 31 dead in May 2014, the public security bureau of Urumqi said it would offer 100,000 to 500,000 yuan for those providing valuable information on terrorist-related crimes - what had been the highest reward in China.

The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, meanwhile, offers no less than 40,000 yuan for the most valuable terrorist-related tips.

The anti-terrorism work group of Xinjiang said on Monday that so far nearly 10,000 people in Xinjiang have provided terrorist-related tips since May 2014, although it wasn't clear how many of those resulted in action by authorities.

"The cash reward can significantly encourage more people to provide valuable information instead of turning a blind eye on terrorist activities. The amount of the cash reward may seem like a lot, but it is nothing compared to the lives that crucial tips can save," said Ma Pinyan, a researcher at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences.

"The war against terrorism must rely on people, and they deserve to be well rewarded and protected by the government."

In recent years, violent criminals and terrorists have incited and launched attacks across the country, killing or injuring hundreds of innocent people.

Additionally, terrorists based overseas can easily use the Internet to communicate with recruits in China or send people to China to collect funds, deliver goods or teach others how to make explosives, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Police intelligence also shows that some Syrian and Iraqi passports have been stolen, and terrorists might use them to illegally cross China's borders, the ministry said.

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(China Daily USA 04/12/2016 page5)