Thailand on full alert for terrorists during Games
Thailand on full alert for terrorists during Games
BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand has assembled a hard core of special forces, bomb detection units and riot squads to ensure the Asian Games live up to its "Friendship Games" billing.
"We want people to come to Bangkok for the 13th Asian Games knowing that they will be safe," said Deputy Prime Minister Bhichai Rattakul, chairman of the games organizing committee (BAGOC).
A stifling security blanket will be spread over the capital during the Dec. 6-Dec. 20 event to protect athletes, officials, VIPs and spectators from 42 competing nations.
Lurking in the shadows will be an emergency team trained by United States special forces to deal with kidnappings and other terrorist action.
"We are looking for terrorists," said Royal Thai Police Gen. Kovid Bhakdibhumi, the deputy chairman of security at the Games which has amassed 16,000 officers in Thailand's biggest peacetime security deployment.
"The force is up to international standards and will be on standby in all areas," he said.
Security chiefs will have at their fingertips state-of-the-art bomb disposal and defusing equipment, finely drilled riot squads, police dogs and a helicopter.
Behind the famous Thai smiles greeting arrivals at Bangkok airport will be heightened security checks, backed with intelligence from Interpol on known suspects.
Demonstrations will be banned at all Games venues and close to any athletes and officials.
Kovid said the Royal Thai police had compiled in-depth intelligence on possible demonstrators through exchanges with Interpol.
"We have our intelligence, so we know beforehand who is going to do what," he said. "We know how many students are staying here, what they are going to do."
Some 20 Thai security officials were in Atlanta to observe security provisions.
Spectators arriving for events will be searched and made to walk through airport style x-ray machines that can detect weapons and explosives, Kovid said.
To minimize the risk of car bombs, vehicles will be left in car parks away from stadiums and park-and-ride services will operate to venues.
Organizers say they honed security preparations at similar events here in the past, notably the Southeast Asian Games in the northern city of Chiang Mai last year and three previous Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan.
Organizers, meanwhile, announced a labyrinthian format for the soccer event, following a frantic meeting to reorganize the draw after Brunei pulled out last week.
The 23 remaining teams have been split into eight first round groups. The two top sides from each pool will advance to four second round groups of four teams.
The two top teams from each second round group will go forward to a knockout phase of quarterfinals, semis and final.
South Korea, seen by many as favorite for the event is drawn in the first round with Vietnam and Turkmenistan. They will kick off the competition on Nov. 30 well before the official start of the games.
China, which has pulled top stars back from European clubs for the games, looks set for a relaxed opening round with games against Lebanon and Cambodia.
Another fancied side, Japan, looks to have an easy passage with preliminary games against minnows India and Nepal, while host Thailand, which has former Aston Villa striker Peter Withe in its coaching line-up, meets Hong Kong and Oman.
North Korea, competing in its first Asian Games for eight years, is assured of qualification for the second round as it is in a two-team group with the United Arab Emirates thanks to Brunei's withdrawal.