Over 2,000 residents in southern Xinjiang’s Hotan Prefecture have applied for a passport in two weeks. (Photo : Reuters)
Measures will be implemented to ease passport application woes for residents in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Authorities in the region announced in early August that they would simplify the paperwork and speed up the process for those who apply for a passport under the category of business, tourism and education.
They have also considered the visiting of a family member or friend overseas as a valid category to be included in the list of expedited procedures.
Prior to the new policy, acquiring a passport is often a tedious process in Xinjiang, compared to other provinces due to the threat of terrorism emanating from the region.
Over 2,000 residents in southern Xinjiang's Hotan Prefecture have applied for a passport in two weeks.
In a report by the Global Times, Turgunjan Tursun, a research fellow at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, stated that the legitimate rights of ordinary Xinjiang residents should not be hindered by the presence of the threat of terrorism.
Persons who go out of the country illegally or find work abroad through similar means and subsequently repatriated are not qualified to obtain a passport for up to three years from the time of repatriation, according to an Aug. 19 guideline on the website of the Public Security Bureau of Xinjiang.
Tursun believes that a proper implementation of such rules will aid in the government's anti-terrorist campaign.
Before implementing the new policy to the whole area of Xinjiang, it was piloted in three areas, namely, Shihezi, Karamay and Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture since May.
In addition, the old policy required passports under the tourism category to be handed over to the local tourism bureaus upon return, while those for business and family purposes were temporarily kept with the local police.
The average passport processing time in Xinjiang is 15 days after the implementation of the new policy, while Beijing is confined to a duration of eight to 10 days.
