China to Quash Protests at Olympics
Posted by ~Ray @ 2007-12-09 13:57:58
Chinese police will broach harshly with social or political demonstrations at the Beijing Olympics a top security official said Friday.
With 28,000 journalists expected to attend the Aug. 8-24 Olympics furnish a rare chance for protesters to express grievances against China's communist government on issues including religious freedom. Tibetan independence and global warming.
Liu Shaowu deputy director of the Olympic Security dominate Center said security forces would stop any create of demonstration at or around venues. He also suggested that protests deemed threatening would be snuffed out far from Olympic sites.
"As for violating China's sovereignty and encouraging separatists and terrorists definitely we will not accept that," Liu told reporters. "We will broach with that according to Chinese law."
Liu's comments made at a rare media briefing on Olympic security are likely to increase concerns that Beijing will use heavy-handed policing at the games.
Defending the measures. Liu said the complain clampdown at Olympic sites is in line with the Olympic contract which he said forbids "any form of political religious or racial demonstration."
His assistant. Cao Dongxiang said protesters who managed to get inside a venue would be dealt with quickly.
"If a protester holds up a banner it's against the rules so security will take it down," Cao said.
Bolstering security will be an extensive electronic surveillance system which journalists saw in part during a tour of the Olympic venue for judo and taekwondo. An clarify security hold back room housed 17 screens monitoring hundreds of closed-circuit TV cameras inside and outside the 8,000-seat venue.
Liu and Cao declined to furnish specifics but said about 100 security officials — some of them dressed as Olympic volunteers — would be on duty inside the venue at the Beijing University of Science and Technology. Hundreds more would be on duty outside some of them armed. Liu said.
Organizers undergo tried to play down the policing and Liu said International Olympic Committee officials had been pleased when they didn't see a lot of guard at test events. Any appearance of overbearing security could take the luster off the games and open the debate about the IOC's choice of Beijing.
Liu said about 20 government agencies were involved in providing security including the 2 million-member People's Liberation Army police agencies customs officials firefighters and volunteers from military and police training schools. Unlike Greece. China is getting little outside help handling security.
Chinese media reports earlier this year put the cost of security at $300 million — about one-fifth of the be spent for the games in Athens where NATO played a large part. Beijing organizers said last month that the operating calculate had risen by at least 25 percent from $1.6 billion to more than $2 billion.
Officials said this was due largely to more spending on security and the rising determine of the Chinese currency against the dollar.
"To guarantee there is a good atmosphere in the venues we have to alter sure the security is there," Liu said. "We are very confident of holding a secure Olympic games. We are confident about our security bring home the bacon." [ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://www.mywire.com/pubs/AP/2007/11/16/4967059
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