Counter-terrorism handbook: watch out for strange behavior

Strange sounds, odd smells, garbage out of the ordinary - these are among signs Chinese citizens should watch out for in the country's fight against terrorism.

The National Anti-Terrorism Leading Group Office on Tuesday updated its counter-terrorism handbook, which is aimed to help citizens better prepare and defend themselves during terrorist attacks.

It urges citizens to be vigilant of odd neighbors, especially tenants who repeatedly make strange sounds, carry unfamiliar objects and throw away garbage out of the ordinary.

"Stay calm, do not resist and trust the government" is the first rule to follow if abducted by terrorists.

In a scenario when faced with a person who has a knife, the manual suggests to "grab anything that is handy, like your handbag, clothes, umbrella, a chair or a mob to fend against the person, if you can not flee or hide."

The 45-page handbook, with text and illustrated pictures, has been distributed free of charge in several regions, including Xinjiang, Shanghai and Guangdong.

Compared with the previous version, the handbook includes new scenarios such as knife attacks, running over people with vehicles, planting bombs and arson, which have taken place in China lately.

Men with knives hacked people to death at Kunming railway station in March, while an off-road vehicle ploughed into a crowd in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square last October, all causing deaths and injuries.

In May, terrorists drove into a busy street market in Urumqi and threw bombs on the road, leaving 39 dead and dozens injured.

The handbook has very detailed countermeasures for fire and explosions on buses, subways, trains and other public places like stadiums, hotels and market places.

Public transportation has become a target of arson attacks lately. Two people died after a bus was blown up in Guangzhou on July 15 while 30 were injured in a bus fire in Hangzhou earlier this month.

China is witnessing more frequent terrorist attacks while many people still lack life-saving experience and skills, said Li Wei, an anti-terror expert from China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

"The book is a measure to enhance people's anti-terror awareness," said Li.