Pigeons Banned During China's Communist Congress

Security in China has been upped two days ahead of the Asian giant’s once in a decade leadership change.

The change that will be effected during the Communist Congress Party this week will see Xi Jinping take over as china’s new leader.

In a bid to ensure maximum security, police in china has barred popular dissidents who it believes could pose a threat to the Communist Party.

“They said they would know if I tried to go to Beijing,” said Liu Xiaoyuan who once worked as a communist party official in the south of the country but is now an outspoken human rights activist.

While he was visiting his hometown of Jian in Jiangxi in October, local police went to Mr Liu’s family home and told him to stay there while Congress was in session.

Mean-looking security officials are stationed at street corners and bridges, while retirees wearing red armbands patrol their neighborhoods for signs of trouble.

In addition to barring outspoken activists, 60,000 taxi drivers have been ordered to prevent passengers from rolling down their backseat windows in an attempt to stop the distribution of anti-Communist literature.

Pigeons are reportedly banned from flying during the Congress.

“In the past, some passengers had thrown leaflets out the taxi window or inserted leaflets into ping-pong balls and threw them out or would let go of a balloon which had leaflets tied to it,” according to state leaning Chinese media.

The timing of this leadership change is significant as it comes two days after people in the United States have voted a new President providing the two world powers with a test of their character.