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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| 10,000 rounded up in Russian terror hunt |
| 2004-09-23 |
| Moscow police have detained more than 10,000 people in the past few days as part of a get-tough policy in the wake of the Chechen terrorist attack on a school. Just under half of those detained are citizens of former Soviet republics who have come to the Russian capital to work illegally. A total of 840 have been deported, police said. Others are Russians without proper documents. The announcement came as the Russian Duma began debating more than 40 anti-terrorism initiatives yesterday, setting aside all other business. Proposals include the re-imposition of the death penalty, toughening resident registration laws and making it harder to buy, sell and borrow cars. The Duma is also to discuss raising the salary of security agents involved in fighting terrorism - in an attempt to cut down on endemic bribe-taking. Officials have said that a failure to penetrate rebel groups coupled with widespread corruption in the security forces has left the country vulnerable to further terrorist attacks. As if to underline the problem, authorities announced the arrest of a police captain, who is thought to have released two women last month at a Moscow airport. They went on to board flights before blowing themselves up killing 89 people. Rounding up illegal workers in Moscow - who are thought to number about a million - is the standard response by Russian police after an act of terrorism. But many detainees pay a bribe to be released or return to Moscow from their home country with a fresh passport. Other measures due to be proposed by Duma deputies include making an inventory of all weapons in Russia. Officials admit that tens of thousands of small arms are missing from stores across the country. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #3 If we are to communicate with clarity, we must translate our actions into terms they can clearly understand. The message should be that the state is stronger than the rebels. The pattern of beheadings indicates that the wahabis think it is an appropriate method for getting their demands met. This means that they consider it to be a horrible death (looks like all agree on that) Setup a ten guillotines working factory style, Read out the name of the victim and the hostages you are executing in arabic and behead 10 at a time. That will cut any internal support the wahabis have. Might be enough to stop the wahabis altogether. |
| Posted by: flash91 2004-09-23 9:33:30 PM |
| #2 This does not inspire confidence. The Moscow cops are notorious for their stupidity, brutality and corruption. This is little more than a green light to accelerate the police shakedowns and extortion against "southerners" that take place every day in Moscow. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-09-23 5:36:45 PM |
| #1 Send them to Siberia. |
| Posted by: Chris W. 2004-09-23 5:31:01 PM |