CHINA has stationed a battery of ground-to-air missiles only 300 yards from a Beijing Olympic venue, another sign of the tightening security with the games just six weeks away.
The fenced-off military compound has been set up south of the Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, a venue for football and the modern pentathlon. It is also within a half mile of the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest National Stadium, the £229 million sho
wpiece venue of the games.
Two Hongqi 7 missile launchers were visible behind a 7ft fence, with military hardware and vehicles hidden under camouflage netting. Dozen of soldiers guarded the compound this week with a notice posted on the fence: "Military Administrative District. No Admittance."
The Athens Olympics four years ago were also under tight security, with Patriot anti- ballistic missiles stationed around the city. Those games came only three years after the terrorist attacks on the United States.
China has clamped down in every phase of security since rioting in Tibet broke out in March, followed by pro-Tibet protests on international legs of the Olympic torch relay.
On at least three occasions this year, authorities said they foiled plots by separatists from Xinjiang – the far western, Muslim-dominated region of China – that targeted the Olympics. The plots included alleged attempts to crash an airliner and kidnap athletes and journalists.
Little evidence has been provided, however, and many foreign security experts question the scale of the threat while rights groups say Beijing may be using terrorism as cover for crackdowns on legitimate peaceful dissent.
The full article contains 266 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
