The September 11 attacks in the United States led to increased
awareness, alertness and caution concerning the threat of
terrorism. The Greek government has spent 1.2 billion Euros (US$1.5
billion) to ensure security during the Olympic Games this
summer.
A large number of Chinese will be in Athens during the Olympics.
In addition to the 633-member delegation and the Beijing
Olympics visiting team, numerous journalists and tourists --
including 1,500 vacationers organized by travel agencies -- will be
in the Greek City.
Li Wei, director of the Modern International Relations Research
Institute's counterterrorism center, terrorist attacks do not
appear to be a direct threat to Chinese people. Neither officials
nor casual travelers "will become major targets for international
terrorist attacks," said Li.
Greece has classified countries participating in the games in
terms of their risk as targets, and China was not given a high-risk
rating.
Nevertheless, the Chinese government has taken steps to ensure
the safety of Chinese citizens during their stay in Athens. Li Wei
and officials of the Ministry of State Security say that some
organizations, including the Eastern Turkistan Liberation
Organization may pose direct threats to Chinese citizens as they
are still conducting terrorist activities in Athens. Although their
activities have been curtailed, officials will not say that the
group no longer poses a threat.
Additionally, Chinese citizens may well find themselves among
crowds of people from countries considered to be at higher risk of
attack. Thus, they should remain alert.
Li remarks, "We must realize that the risks of terrorist attack
still exists."
(People's Daily August 6, 2004)