Terrorism whistleblowers to receive up to $80,000

To further encourage Chinese citizens to report on terrorist activities, the Ministry of Public Security has recently issued a notice to local public security bureaus, prompting them to finalize an advanced plan which rewards terrorist whistleblowers more efficiently.

The notice was made to sharpen the public's awareness on anti-terrorism, said Li Keming, an officer with the Counter-Terrorism Office of the Ministry of Public Security.

"We used to have a system to reward terrorism reports, but the situation on fighting terrorism is more crucial now than ever," he said. "Some people may drop the idea if they think reporting something has little to do with them, but people will make a phone call if they know there is a reward up to 500,000 yuan ($80,000)."

Following the notice, more cities have released their new plan on rewarding information providers.

Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong province, made headlines for offering up to 500,000 yuan to those who report on terrorism. Furthermore, if the information offered is significant and exceptional, there is no limit for the cash reward.

Offering three levels, Beijing's rewards range from 1,000 to 10,000 yuan to those who offer useful clues, 20,000 to 30,000 yuan for those who offer important information and above 40,000 yuan for those who offer significant information.

The capital has also built an intelligence system that helps vendors and community workers report on suspected terrorism.

Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region rewards whistleblowers with both cash and credit. Each accumulated 100 credits can be exchanged for 5,000 yuan in cash. Different cities in Xinjiang provide cash rewards starting from 500 yuan, up to 500,000 plus credit.

In central China's Henan province, a witness who withholds information and fails to report suspected terrorist activities may face legal charges. Henan offers those who report on suspected terrorism with a 2,000 to 50,000 cash reward.

The notice says the public can report suspected terrorism when they face any of the following six situations: planning terrorist activities, carrying out terrorist activities, assisting terrorist activities, illegal weapons manufacturing, promoting terrorism and suspicious behavior.

Citizens may report clues to police by writing a letter, calling the 110 hotline, going to public security offices and sending e-mails among other means.

The notice also requires local police to keep the whistleblower's identity strictly confidential. Police who neglect and fail to protect the information provider could face punishment.