Police set up a new department yesterday for liaising with
foreign security forces to help prevent terrorist attacks during
the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The setting up of the International Liaison Department (ILD),
under the 29th Olympic Security Command Center (OSCC), was
announced officially at a reception attended by foreign police
liaison officers and officials of embassies in Beijing.
The OSCC also launched the Beijing Olympic Security Website
yesterday.
Qiang Wei, chief of the 29th Olympic Security Coordination Group
(OSCG), said the ILD would cooperate and interact with its
counterparts from other nations and regions to check transnational
crime and terrorist activities.
It will coordinate with police and Olympic security liaison
officers from Beijing-based embassies as well as the Interpol.
Qiang praised Beijing's preparations to ensure the overall
safety of the Olympic Games. He said the security arrangements
during August's 11th Women's World Softball Championship, the first
Olympic trial event in Beijing, were very successful and reflected
the country's preparedness to hold a smooth Olympics.
Beijing's security measures will undergo a series of rigorous
tests this year, with 26 Olympic trial events scheduled mostly for
the second half of the year, Qiang said.
Despite the accomplishments, he warned that Beijing should
remain on high alert to ensure "a safe and harmonious" Games.
"Since the Olympics are one of the biggest international sports
events, they have been targeted by various international terrorist
organizations in the past," he said. Hence, it was important for
Beijing to take foolproof "preventive measures."
A safe Olympics is the common goal of the international
community, he said. "It cannot be achieved without sufficient
international cooperation, especially exchanges and contacts with
the participating nations."
The Beijing Olympic Security Website, www.bjayab.cn, will serve
as an official Internet portal where people can learn about the
security service and contact Olympic security officials for
inquiries and suggestions.
The website offers services in Chinese simplified and
unsimplified both forms of Chinese characters English and French
and has been designed to put OSCC's security preparation effort
under the whole world's scrutiny.
At a press conference after the reception, OSCG Vice-Director Yu
Hongyuan introduced a list of seven Olympic security plans for
Beijing in 2007.
Yu said police were raising the number of staff in special
Olympic security offices and refining detailed plans for each and
every venue, hotel and hospital. They will target crime and traffic
problems as part of their efforts to ensure a peaceful and smooth
Games.
The overall security in Beijing is of equal importance to
police, Yu said.
(China Daily January 16, 2007)
