Posted by
Darko Trifunovic on Friday, July 18, 2008 4:04:56 PM
Aileen McCabe, Asia Correspondent
,
Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, July 18, 2008
SHANGHAI
- China wants the world to see its capital as the place where its
imperial past and bright future come together to provide a picture of a
proud nation ready to retake its place in the world.
There is a danger, however, that what will actually be on display at next month's Olympics is Fortress Beijing.
Security
for any Olympiad is tight, with the millions of spectators, saturation
media coverage and presence of world leaders a magnet for anyone
looking for global attention.
Interpol
chief Ronald Noble underlined the danger when he warned the Chinese
this spring: "We must be prepared for the possibility that al-Qaida or
some other terrorist group will attempt to launch a deadly terrorist
attack at these Olympics."
It is a sobering thought, but surely
far from the minds of the drivers caught unaware this week when
officials launched the latest phase of their Olympic "Defence Line"
plan. Traffic was backed up for two kilometres on expressways and
national highways leading into Beijing city centre as every car was
thoroughly searched. It was a 20-minute job for each vehicle.
This
is the second layer of a security plan that already includes hundreds
of checkpoints on every road leading into the capital from Hebei, the
neighbouring province that hugs Beijing.
The third phase, which will be implemented soon, calls for security checkpoints on major downtown streets.
The cost of securing the XXlX Olympiad is estimated at close to $50 million.
But
that doesn't take into account the 100,000 soldiers from the People's
Liberation Army that China is using as its first line of defence around
the capital and at Olympic venues. Nor does it include the costs for
the 100,000 ordinary police and paramilitary police or the 60,000
civilian volunteers - mostly aging members of the Communist-era
Neighbourhood Committees - who will be their eyes and ears around the
city for the Games.
External terror groups are just one aspect of
the security threat China has identified leading up to the Games. It
has also singled out several internal groups it says may try to disrupt
the Olympics. Topping the list are Tibetan and Tibetan-exile groups,
and Uighurs - members of the predominately Muslim minority population
that is centred in the remote Xinjiang region and still not reconciled
to 60 years of Chinese rule. The outlawed group Falun Gong is
undoubtedly near the top of China's blacklist, too, although it is
rarely mentioned publicly.
Officials deny singling them out, but
many human rights advocacy groups are claiming the crackdown on
dissidents this year is also part of China's security plan for the
Games.
At all costs, Tiananmen Square will not be repeated while the world looks on.
Sophie
Richardson, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said that leading up
to the Games, "we have witnessed a systematic effort to silence,
suppress and repress Chinese citizens who are trying to push the
government into greater respect for fundamental rights."
The Chinese consulted widely with security forces around the world and worked closely with Interpol to hone their security plan.
Some
of the measures they settled on are highly visible. A battery of
surface-to-air missiles has been set up just a few kilometres from the
iconic Bird's Nest stadium and the bubble-wrapped "Water Cube" - the
National Aquatics Centre.
Starting this weekend, passengers
entering Beijing Capital Airport will have to go through a security
check just to get in the building and then repeat it after check-in.
On
the Beijing subway, passengers are already being sniffed for explosives
by trained dogs and police are spot-checking purses, briefcases and
backpacks.
Less visible are measures such as the passport checks
at major airports across China that link to Interpol's data base of
"more than 14 million stolen and lost travel documents." The Chinese
aren't advertising the link, but Interpol's Noble revealed last spring
that he was helping China set it up.
Neither do the Chinese talk
about the estimated 265,000 security cameras they have mounted -
unblinking eyes that watch over the city and Games sites. If you look
carefully at the tall light standards on the vast Olympic Green you can
see how the spy cameras are neatly worked into the sleek design. Some
have face-recognition technology programmed into them. Most people will
never notice them, but be assured that wherever you are in Beijing,
someone is watching.
The tickets for the opening and closing
ceremonies are another feat of invisible security. Each one has a Radio
Frequency Identification chip embedded in it. The minuscule chip can be
read like a bar code and contains a picture, the holder's name,
address, passport number, telephone and e-mail.
Anyone who wants
to travel by bus or train to the capital now has to produce
identification. If you want to mail a parcel to Beijing, or to any of
the five other Olympic venues on the mainland, starting this weekend
you have to produce ID, too, plus open the package for inspection.
Organizers appear to be sensitive to the fact "Fortress Beijing" is not the image they want to show to the world.
The
official news agency Xinhua reported this week that Zhou Yongkang,
China's top security official, instructed police officers: "During the
Olympics security work, we should not only stick to strictness and
details, but also ensure civilized and convenient inspections for
people."
It's a tall order. Olympic organizers launched a
campaign this week to encourage staff, volunteers and security to wear
a smile whenever they encounter visitors. That may help ease the
tension of delays, but, as always, the secret weapon for the Chinese
will likely be manpower.
When the road searches became too
annoying this week, officials immediately pledged more checkpoints with
more personnel to speed things up.
It's a simple solution in a
country of 1.3 billion and has already smoothed out the frayed tempers
of visitors arriving at the Beijing airport. More passport officers
were recruited to process visitors faster. Despite the new layers of
security, passengers are reporting now that they are through to the
luggage carousel in mere minutes.