Kunming attack prompts call for strengthened anti-terrorism legislation

Legislators and political advisors have proposed improving legislation to counter terrorism following the deadly terrorist attack that killed 29 civilians and injured 143 others.

"We advise the National People's Congress (NPC) to make a special arrangement for anti-terrorism legislation," said Zhou Hanmin, a legal expert and a political advisor.

Zhou suggested the country's top legislature make a decision to improve laws against terrorism and work out a timetable to advance the agenda. Local legislatures could make their own regulations accordingly, he added.

The NPC's standing committee passed a decision to improve anti-terrorism work in October 2011, but it was never made into a law. Zhou said it is international practice to strengthen anti-terrorism efforts at the legal front. George W. Bush signed into law the Patriot Act 45 days after the September 11 terrorist attack.

Another political advisor, Zhu Yilong, said China already has a legal framework for the effort against terrorism based on the Constitution, the Criminal Code and the extradition law, but much more needs to be done. Dilnar Abdulla, a Uygur NPC deputy said improving anti-terrorism legislation is definitely necessary, adding that she hopes people would realize terrorists' "ulterior secessionist motive and the destructive nature of their acts."

A group of knife-wielding attackers slashed people at the square in front of a train station in southwest China's Kunming City on Saturday.Police shot to death four of them at the square and had captured the four others as of Monday. Nurlan Abdumankin, a political advisor from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, also urged the nation's top political advisory body to conduct in-depth study on the issue of religious extremism.

"The rise of religious extremist activities has instigated ethnic secessionist thought and terrorist acts. Such thought has been used to radicalize people to commit crimes of terror," Abdumankin said.

Many advisors say one of the lessons the nation must learn from the tragedy in Kunming is that citizens should be better prepared against such acts of terror with knowledge and skills. Compiling brochures on anti-terrorism can be a good place to start empowering citizens, they said.