In the lead up to another Chinese National Day holiday, which starts this Friday, public security departments in big cities like Beijing have already started intense preparations to make sure that people could have a safe and terror-free vacation. 
 
During this festival season, people in Beijing may notice certain changes around them. Some famous scenic spots, including the Tian'anmen Square and the Temple of Heaven have been ordered by the municipal government to close to the public on the National Day on October 1st.

And a new parking tarmac in Chaoyang Park in eastern Beijing will come to use for helicopters in any emergencies.

Meanwhile, big shopping malls and super markets have also been asked to establish anti-terror and emergency-responding teams to guarantee safety in those places.

Zheng Shuangqing is head of the security department of Beijing's Chang'an Market. He says the government has attached much more importance on the prevention of and dealing with public emergencies and terrorist attacks. 

"This year, the government has paid more attention to the security issue. I can feel that from the documents and notices we've received recently. We've been asked to set up detailed plans for different occasions. Our main task is to prevent any possible danger and evacuate crowds as soon as possible if something happens."

Zheng Shuangqing's team is now checking key areas in the building everyday and the market won't hold large-scale promotional activities during the holiday to prevent gathering of huge crowds of people.

The Chang'an Market has an emergency action plan in place in the event of fires and explosions. They have everything prepared if there are problems, including first aid, evacuation and fire fighting groups, as well as all kinds of anti-terror equipment. Anti-terror drills were also carried out in anticipation of the holiday.

Li Wei is director of the Center of Counter-terrorism Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations. He explains the reason of the recent moves by the government, including Beijing's plan to establish China's first professional counter-terrorism agency. 

"Beijing now is strengthening its capacity building in security for the 2008 Olympics. Attacks in other countries tell us we can't predict where and when a terrorist attack may happen, we have to prepare ahead of time."

Professor Li Wei says anti-terrorism measures are important for a peaceful social atmosphere. Terrorism can have a negative impact on a society, including an amplified public panic and other unstable elements awaken.

With the government determined to strengthen its anti-terrorism capabilities, Li Wei believes more work needs to be done in the future. 

"The government needs to make more efforts in several aspects of work, including law-making, institutional setup, technology research, professional staff training, and the raising of public awareness."

The professor says it's important the government pass anti-terror laws and raise public awareness of this issue, because the current administrative orders and temporary regulations to deal with terrorism are inadequate.

The anti-terror measures are important in China because many people still think terrorism is a distant concern for them and have no idea on how to deal with sudden incidents.

(CRI September 28, 2004)