Posted by
Darko Trifunovic on Friday, July 18, 2008 4:12:37 PM
A
senior officer from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has
confirmed that a dedicated unit has been established to tackle the
problem of security at next year’s Olympic Games. The details of this
were confirmed during a briefing, held yesterday, which focused on the
PLA’s security plan for the Beijing Olympics. The briefing was attended
by 65 defence attaches, who represented 54 nations.
The
officer, Tian Yixiang, stated that the security unit comprises members
of China’s air force, army and navy, who will work together at the
event. He added that a specialised training program for all those
involved has been completed.
Mr Yixiang detailed how the PLA
security unit would be tasked primarily with managing 21st century
threats such as potential terror attacks of a nuclear or biochemical
nature. Regarding this first feature, he stated "It is international
practice for military forces to participate in security for Olympic
Games. The PLA has completed emergency plans for non-traditional
threats.”
Commenting on the projected scale of the games’
security network, Mr Yixiang added: "The equipment and defence
abilities of the PLA security unit for the Beijing Olympics will exceed
those in the Athens Games."
In line with the detailed security
blueprint for the Olympics, the PLA unit’s responsibilities will
include protecting the air above China’s relevant stadiums and arenas,
and also ensuring the security of coastal venues. The unit will work in
tandem with armed forces and the police; assisting with the prevention
of terrorist attacks, plus aiding with the consequent rescue missions
in the aftermath of any such event.
Additionally, the PLA
security unit will take responsibility for the management of China’s
borders; again, to halt the threat of terrorism entering the country
while the Beijing Olympics are in progress.
As per Mr Yixiang, a
large number of the security unit’s members would stay on either aerial
or seaborne alert. A further possible area of patrol could be Hong
Kong’s horse arena, but this is subject to a request, yet to be made,
by the island’s Special Administrative Region government.
Source - Security International's Far East Correspondent