BEIJING (updated on:
July 31, 2008, 10:20 PST):
Beijing has urged subway passengers not to carry bags on board as the Chinese capital tightens security ahead of the Olympic Games that start next week, state media reported on Thursday.
Authorities started checking mainly large bags on the subway in June, but from this week all bags must go through security checks until the end of the Paralympics in September, the Beijing Times said.
"In order to reduce the potential queue caused by the security checks, the subway company reminds all passengers not to bring bags, if possible," the Beijing subway company said on its website.
Apart from guns, ammunition, explosives and poisonous materials, other items banned in the subways include bicycles, TV sets and anything longer than 1.8 metres (5.9 feet), according to the Beijing Times.
The newspaper said passengers were no longer allowed to bring refrigerators on board.
China has embarked on a wide-ranging security crackdown ahead of the Games, and has even deployed surface-to-air missile batteries near Olympic venues to defend against airborne attacks.
Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2008
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