You often wonder what visiting dignitaries make of your country; American presidents must think that the whole world is in a constant state of riot.
It means that hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of police, in various states of riot readiness, position themselves at every junction, every roundabout, along every road, layby and dirt track within a mile of the building.
Those fleeing were primarily from the state of Assam, where rioting between tribal and Muslim communities has led to more than 75 deaths, the complete destruction of many villages and the displacement of hundreds of thousands.
And a few weeks ago, the Colombian government declared a state of emergency because of rioting over some closed Ponzi funds.
Xinjiang, with its combustive mix of Han and Uighur ethnic groups, has been under a heightened state of security since the rioting, the deadliest in decades.
President Obama has called for calm in the US state of Missouri after two nights of rioting following the death of an unarmed black teenager.
Weeks after the coup attempt, Turkey's forceful president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announced a state of emergency, allowing armed riot police and members of SWAT teams on subway platforms and in city squares, and giving law enforcement authorities enhanced interrogation powers.
