China launched Wednesday morning an anti-terrorist exercise at
Shanghai's Yangshan Port, involving both public security and civil
departments in a test of their response to a terrorist attack.
The exercise, "China 2007 security program at a port facility",
began at 10?AM at the port.
The exercise, based on terrorist attack scenarios, focused on
the city's emergency response and its capacity to mobilize
anti-terrorism forces.
According to the scenarios, a gang of five terrorists hide in
shipping containers at the port, in preparation for an attack on
the port.
As soon as the simulated attack by the "terrorists" began, a
local headquarters was set up to muster and dispatch emergency
forces, a pattern which is expected to serve as a model for Chinese
cities in future anti-terrorist work.
The "terrorists" were soon captured by police officers and the
bomb they installed on a ship was demolished successfully, at the
end of the exercise.
Peng Cuihong, an official who commanded the drill, said that the
exercise involved 200 police officers and 45 vehicles, 13 ships and
two helicopters.
According to Peng, China now has 1,400 ports, of which 132 are
opened to the world. The exercise was a means of testing emergency
security systems of Chinese ports in advance of the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games.
(China Daily November 2, 2007)
