The "East Turkistan" terrorist forces remain to be the great terrorist threat to China at present and in future, a Chinese anti-terrorist official said in Beijing Monday.

"In the last decade, the terrorist threats that China confronted with were mainly terrorist activities of 'East Turkistan' terrorist forces inside and outside Chinese territory, international terrorist groups and terrorists," said Zhao Yongchen, deputy director of the Anti-Terrorism Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security.

Statistics showed, the three forces - terrorists, separatists and extremists - in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region hatched more than 260 terrorist incidents over the past 10 years, killing more than 160 Innocent people and injuring 440 others.

"The terrorist activities carried out by the three terrorist forces have not only jeopardized China, but also posed a threat to regional security and stability," Zhao said.

On March 27, 2003, the East Turkistan Liberation Organization hijacked a passenger bus of a Xinjiang company, killed all the 21 passengers and the driver and set the bus on fire with the bodies inside it.

"The three terrorist forces openly summon the extremists inside China to carry out terrorist activities aiming at kindergartens, schools and government, or attack Chinese armed forces and government agencies, with means of explosives and poison.

The forces, he said, have also become part of the international terrorist forces. "They have close ties and even align with terrorist groups including the Taliban, the Uzbekistan Islamic Liberation Movement and Al Qaeda."

According to Zhao, many members of the "East Turkistan" forces have received military training in terrorist bases in central and south Asia and directly have taken part in terrorist activities sponsored by owners of the bases.

(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2005)