Police in southwest China's Yunnan Province have caught 553 stowaways and shot dead four terrorists in crackdowns upon illegal border crossings since 2014, local authorities said Thursday.
The provincial public security department cleaned up 132 stowaway cases from 2014 till June, seizing 35 suspects who allegedly organized such activities and 553 suspects who attempted to cross the border illegally.
Investigations showed many of the stowaways were influenced by religious extremism and were ready to participate in "jihad" abroad.
Yunnan, which has a 4,060-km border with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, is regarded as a "shortcut" by stowaways to steal into another country.
Dealing with illegal immigration has become an important part of the province's counter-terrorism campaign. Yunnan and its neighboring regions have strengthened checks on main road channels and increased border patrols. Organizers, traffickers, drivers and guides remain the principal targets.
In June, Yunnan offered up to 200,000 yuan (32,000 U.S. dollars) to whistle blowers with information on terror attacks in a move to promote stability in the province.
