HONG KONG, DECEMBER 9: Beijing is to appeal for ethnic harmony and national unity during the Macau handover period later this month, a report said today.Hong Kong's South China Morning Post cited a Communist party source in Beijing as saying that the leadership want to take the chance of the handover to send a message of reconciliation to ethnic minorities where there are separatist movements.The main audience would be those in Tibet, Xinjiang and inner Mongolia, the source added.According to the report, the message would be a key theme of speeches made by President Jiang Zemin, who is also the Communist party chief, and other leaders in leading up to and including the handover ceremony on December 19.Both President Jiang and Premier Zhu Rongji would attend the ceremony.``Central leaders will stress that, with the Macau handover, the chapter is being closed on colonial humiliation,'' the source said. ``They will point out that ethnic minorities should strive to promote unity and strength now that China has stood up in the community of nations.''But tough warnings would also be sent to separatists in Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang not to collude with ``outside forces'' to split the motherland, the report added.Directives have been sent by the party leadership to the Communist-controlled media to uphold the theme of harmony.According to the post, security has been tightened not only in Guangdong province which is close to Macau, but in other cities including Beijing in case separatists and dissidents would spoil the handover ceremony by making trouble in other cities.A security source was quoted as saying that police officers were also targeting the banned Falun Gong sect members and an alert had been given to local authorities to stop foreign-based Falun Gong members from ``infiltrating'' China during the handover period.After more than 400 years of Portuguese rule, Macau will become an SAR too following the handover.
