OPINION> Commentary
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OPINION> Commentary
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Safety cover for Games carnival
By Juan Santamaria (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-17 07:33 When I visited China for the first time in 2005, what impressed me most was the high-level of security the country has. Wherever I looked, police and security officers in the streets did not even have to carry guns. When I told this to my friends back in my country, they did not believe me, since it is a normal practice in most countries that police and other security officers are well-armed, even with automatic rifles and machine guns. But of late the situation has changed a lot. It is not because China has become an "insecure" country. On the contrary, the level of security is still very high and impressive, which is a topic that never fails to figure in conversations between foreigners living in China. The arrangements for the Olympic Games have imposed very important challenges to the Chinese people. One of these challenges is to guarantee the Games is safe, not only for the athletes and other local and foreign representatives that will take part in it, but also for the spectators, visitors and the public in general. However, no matter which country holds such a big international sports event, the Games will be a potential target of certain terrorist groups in order to attract worldwide attention. Such threats could come from home and abroad. Therefore it is easy to understand why Beijing takes tighter security measures. You can see some of these security precautions with a lot of new actions. In the streets and public places there is an increasing deployment of security and police officers. Police officers are armed with guns in security checking points. Security checks in the subway stations include metal detectors and x-ray machines. The military is mobilized for custody of the Games venues. Police patrol with specially trained dogs searching for arms, explosives and drug. There are increasing security checks and verification for people traveling to Beijing and other cities where the Games will take place. Some people perhaps consider these actions a nuisance and inconvenient, or maybe they haven't yet gotten used to them. But we should appreciate and collaborate with them to contribute to the final goal of a safe Games, because in the end everybody, Chinese or foreigners, will benefit from them. Furthermore, government officials have informed that these actions will be in place only during the event. My opinion is that they should think about the possibility of keeping some of these prevention and control measures permanently. With the increasing importance of China's role in the international community and its economic development and opening-up policies, the country will also face risks of being attacked by some extremist groups whose only interest could be to make big news. It is important to review and analyze the experiences of other countries in similar situations and act proactively in order to prevent them. The author is a Venezuelan consultant on health, safety and environmental issues currently living in Beijing (China Daily 07/17/2008 page9) |
