China stages anti-terror drills
2008-06-12 11:48
Beijing - China is staging a week of anti-terrorism drills ahead of the Beijing Olympics that include simulated chemical weapons attacks and hijackings, state media reported on Thursday.
The public security ministry said the drills dubbed "Great Wall 5" were designed to mirror real attacks as closely as possibly, using actual Olympic venues, Xinhua news agency reported.
The drills used "real place, real time, real people and real equipment" so as to "test the city's emergency response capacity and smooth the coordination among various forces ahead of the Olympics," Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying.
Top Chinese leaders and international experts say Beijing could be a terrorist target during the August 8-24 Games and China has mobilised an anti-terrorist force of almost 100 000 commandos, police and army troops.
A bomb squad equipped with 200 sniffer dogs will patrol key facilities including Olympic venues, logistics centres, airports and VIP residences during the Games, Xinhua said earlier.
The drills started on Wednesday with a simulated chemical weapons attack on the venue for the Olympic volleyball competition which involved the evacuation of 400 people from the stadium, Xinhua said.
Spectators were evacuated within minutes and a chemical clean-up was completed within the hour, making the drill a success, the report said.
China has put the emphasis on security and stability in the run-up to the Games.
Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu said last month that terrorism constituted the biggest threat to the Games with a main threat coming from Muslim separatists in China's far western region of Xinjiang.
Critics have accused Beijing of playing up the terror threat to provide an excuse to crack down on dissent.
But the United States, Britain and Interpol have all issued travel warnings, saying the Games are a potential target for attack.