Stay calm, Chinese told over Olympic terror threats

Remain calm, don’t fight back and try to send a text message to the police. That’s how Chinese police have advised people to respond if captured by terrorists during next month’s Olympic Games, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The new “anti-terrorism manual” is the latest in a string of warnings issued by an increasingly jittery Chinese government in the run-up to the August 8-24 Olympics. In addition to worries over foreign terrorist plots, Beijing is worried about political protests from domestic critics.

China says it fears an attack by Islamic insurgents in the restive western province of Xinjiang, as well as from Tibetans it says who want to split China — fears brought to the fore by violent riots that erupted in Tibet’s capital of Lhasa in March.

A vast security apparatus has been charged with guarding Beijing during the games, including thousands of soldiers, police and anti-terrorist squads. The government has also declared a “people’s war” against those who could disrupt the games, enlisting the help of neighbourhood watch groups to root out threats.

Xinhua said the manual described potential terrorism threats, including explosions, shootings, hijacking and even chemical or nuclear attacks.

China has already repeatedly said a terrorist attack is one of the biggest worries for the games.

The manual follows a series of guides China has published telling its people how to behave during the games. A manual for thousands of volunteers working the Beijing Olympics and paralympics was released in May, on everything from handling visitors to sitting, standing and shaking hands.

Campaigns have also been launched to get citizens to form lines in public places, stop spitting and improve their driving habits.

China has already installed checkpoints on roads and subway stations around the capital, as well as the border of Hebei province.

Reflecting China’s fears that an attack is possible, Chinese authorities will close Beijing’s airport for about five hours during the opening ceremony of the Olympics, affecting dozens of flights, local media and airlines said.

But a spokesman from the airport denied reports of a planned closure, saying they welcomed all flights to Beijing.