One hundred and thirty-one Chinese anti-riot policemen passed a final UN
recruitment exam for peace keepers on Sunday, and 125 of them will be dispatched
to Haiti in August for a UN peacekeeping mission.
This will be the fourth unit of UN peacekeepers China has dispatched to
Haiti.
The UN selection test, held at the China Peacekeeping Police Training Center
in Langfang of North China's Hebei Province, 50 km southeast of Beijing,
includes examinations on anti-riot procedures, searching techniques, VIP
protection, combat techniques, psychology skills, physical agility training,
driving training and vehicle maintenance.
Deputy Chief Adviser to the UN mission in Haiti, John Smith, said the Chinese
policemen are very professional and he believes that they will play an important
role in improving the unstable situation in Haiti.
All the members of the unit received advanced training for five months prior
to the test in 31 courses including shooting, driving and anti-rioting
procedures.
Ministry figures show over 700 of its police peacekeepers have served the UN
peacekeeping mission since China dispatched the first team in 2000.
"All provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across China have
contributed to the operations," said Gao Xinman, deputy director of the training
center.
China is the second largest contributor of peacekeeping police forces out of
the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and its police officers are
working under the UN flag in task places including Kosovo, Liberia, East Timor,
Afghanistan, Sudan and Haiti. Terms for Chinese peacekeepers vary from 8 months
to one year.
Chinese peacekeepers have won extensive accolades because of their strict
discipline and high efficiency. In January 2005, Chinese peacekeeping anti-riot
police in Haiti were awarded UN peace medals for their outstanding performance
in the crisis-torn countries, the highest honor granted by the UN to
peacekeeping missions.
