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Guangzhou Deploys More Police Officers Following Bus Explosion

Posted: 07/18/2014 4:47 pm

gz security check police patrol anti terrorismGuangzhou police are stepping up patrols in the city following the July 15 bus fire that killed two and injured 32, reports Southcn. More than 11,000 Guangzhou police officers will be mobilized to try and keep the city safe.

Described as “unprecedented”, commuters entering Guangzhou train stations and bus stations will be required to undergo mandatory security checks that are like going through customs at an airport.

There was heightened security all around Guangzhou on July 17 with increased patrols by all levels of law enforcement. The police presence has increased most notably at transportation hubs like Guangzhou Railway Station, Guangzhou East Station, Tianhe Passenger Terminal Station, and Haizhu Passenger Terminal Station.

In addition to an increased police presence, Guangzhou will be utilizing its security network of 397,000 surveillance cameras for 24-hour surveillance.

gz security check police patrol anti terrorismgz security check police patrol anti terrorism

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Photos: Sina Guangdong

Haohao
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Knife Attack Rumor Launches Stampede on Guangzhou Metro

Posted: 06/9/2014 2:42 pm

guangzhou subway stampede terrorism panic attack knife Six people were injured when passengers aboard a Guangzhou Metro Line 3 subway train panicked and began a stampede, reports Sina News Video.

A passenger called out, “There’s a knife attack!” as the subway train pulled into Meihuayuan Station at around 1pm. This caused a surge of people to come from the back of the train, leading to an immediate evacuation onto the subway platform.

The cause of the stampede may be due to a person who had fainted aboard the train.

READ: Knife Attack at Guangzhou Train Station Injures Six People
Suspect “Acted Alone” in Knife Attack At Guangzhou Railway Station

Ever since a number of knife and bomb attacks throughout the country earlier this year, public anxiety has been high as crowds have panicked while the threat of terrorism remains a hot topic in the media.

One person has been charged with spreading rumors online after Shenzhen crowds panicked when a shelf was pushed down in a subway plaza mall near the Dongmen pedestrian walkway, causing a stampede captured on video.

READ: Guangzhou Jittery After False Reports of Knife, Bomb Attacks

Commuters ran for their lives from the Guomao Subway Station on Beijing Metro’s Line 1 on June 5, reports Want China Times. The chaotic stampede was later attributed to a fight between two passengers.

Passengers on the Beijing Metro also experienced another panic attack on April 16 when a dispute between two commuters at the Huixinxijie Nankou Station on Line 5 caused a stampede when panicked passengers tried to get off the train too quickly, reports iFeng.

RELATED: 11,000 Extra Police on Patrol in Guangzhou This Labor Day Holiday

Other instances of stampedes causing injury or death not related to terrorism have previously occurred in China. Four elementary school children died when an iron gate failed to open at the bottom of a stairwell after the end of classes. Eight people died and 26 were injured at the Yucai Middle School in Hunan after the end of classes.

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Photo: Sina News Video via Weibo

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Beijing Metro Security Like “Going Through Airport Customs”

Posted: 05/27/2014 1:01 pm

beijing subway security check

Security has been dramatically tightened up in Beijing.

Today, the usual subway security check no longer involves just “putting your bags through”, as commuters now have to be checked as though they are going through airport customs.

This was the scene at Beijing’s Tiantongyuan North Station at the terminus of Line 5 this morning:

beijing subway security checkbeijing subway security check beijing subway security checkbeijing subway security checkbeijing subway security checkbeijing subway security check

Photos: Weibo

Haohao
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Guangzhou upgrades security in wake of Kunming killing rampage

Posted: 03/4/2014 9:11 am

Americans will be the first to testify that terrorist attacks can have far reaching implications on security checks nationwide. To date, China has been blissfully free of the invasive security now deployed at US airports and other monuments, but that may be changing in light of the deadly terrorist attack over the weekend in Kunming. The deadly violence at Kunming Train Station has stirred up fears that acts of terrorism, which used to be mostly confined to Xinjiang, are now starting to ripple across the country, Caijing wrote.

Guangzhou is among the first cities to take action. It is upgrading security at its main train stations, shopping centers and at Baiyun Airport following the attack in Kunming which left 29 people dead and more than 140 severely injured, Yangcheng Evening News reported on March 3.

Guangzhou’s Yuexiu police department has stepped up security forces along Beijing Road, a popular shopping street in the city, and sent out fully armed police officers at the entrance of the street, the report said.

More police officers have been dispatched to Guangzhou’s main train station, in ticketing areas and along platforms. Meanwhile, the city’s airport also tightened up its security checks. Each person entering the airport must now go through strict body checks for bombs and other dangerous materials, one person surnamed Huang told the newspaper.

Densely-populated areas including Guangzhou Library, Guangzhou No. 2 Children’s Palace and Tianhe Cheng are also seeing increased security after the Kunming attack. Other cities in Guangdong including Shaoguan and Shanwei have also tightened up security checks in stations, schools and hospitals, the report added.

On Saturday, knife-wielding attackers in black rushed into a railway station in Kunming in southwest Yunnan Province and stabbed people indiscriminately. Xinjiang separatist forces were blamed for the terrorist attack, according to the government, although no group has taken responsibility. As of the writing, state news agency Xinhua has announced the attackers who survived a police onslaught have been captured.

Home page photo credit: Yangcheng Evening News

 

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A jilted boyfriend may have lead to bomb scare on Shenzhen Airlines flight

Posted: 02/21/2013 3:25 pm

Another scare in the skies above China early this morning after a flight bound for Shenzhen was forced to turn back because of a bomb scare which was likely the result of a jilted boyfriend.

Shenzhen Airlines flight ZH9786 had just taken off from Hefei Airport in Anhui Province when an anonymous phone call was received that a bomb was on board. Shenzhen Airlines was informed immediately to land at the nearest possible place, which turned out to be Nanchang Airport. Nothing unusual was found on the plane following an inspection, media reports said.

According to Hefei Airport, a man called an airport service telephone to say a woman on board the flight had taken an explosive item on board. The woman was identified when the plane landed, but she wasn’t found to be carrying anything suspicious. Turns out her boyfriend may have been angry after a conflict with the woman, and probably phoned in the threat to embarrass her.

Photo Credit: Life Cherries

Haohao
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Security checks at PRD airports about to get American-ized

Posted: 09/2/2011 5:14 pm

Anyone who travels to America – or especially within it – will know that it isn’t exactly a pleasant experience. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA for short) makes life miserable by fondling everything from breasts to colostomy bags to little kids as they pass through security. Some call this “security theatre“, other’s call it a pain in the a**.

Unfortunately, it looks like airports in China will be taking a page from the TSA and stepping up their own airport security. Life of Guangzhou has the details:

Passengers from some flights will be required to undergo a stricter body check, which can include removing shoes and leather belts. Passengers demanded to open belongings will increase by 50 percent.

The airport authority reminds passengers not to bring contraband goods such as lighters, matches or lithium batteries. To avoid huge crowds and flight delays, the authorities have increased the current 25 security gates to 52.

Beijing and Shanghai airports have also concurrently implemented the level II security check. Level II security check was once operated during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and 2010 Shanghai Expo.

The question here is… why? The Asian Games happened nearly a year ago, and the Universiade is all wrapped up. The Beijing Olympics and Shanghai Expo are ancient memories. Seems an odd time to step up security, unless the authorities know something we don’t.

And perhaps they do. Without treading too far down a path which might get this website blocked, there has been some unrest in certain sensitive regions of China. I Want China Times sums it up:

The Civil Aviation Administration of China didn’t give any reason for the increased security and passengers hadn’t been notified in advance but there was speculation the move was related to the recent discovery of knives and other banned items at an airport in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regions in the country’s northwest, Shanghai Daily said in a report.

No word on how long this treatment will last, but it’s nice to know that Chinese passengers don’t take any more kindly to it than their American counterparts:

The sudden imposition of stricter checks caused problems at Beijing Capital International Airport with long queues, arguments and even scuffles breaking out among passengers having to wait a much longer time to get through the security checks.

Many passengers complained on the microblog. Photos posted online showed the airport crowded with passengers in scenes that were described as like a “busy and noisy railway station during the annual spring rush.”

Passengers said it took them more than one hour to get through security and about half of them had their luggage opened and inspected.

Make sure you arrive at the airport extra early. And leave your dignity at home.

Haohao
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Don’t be bringing cyanide, explosives, or firearms on public transport in Shenzhen

Posted: 07/14/2011 11:05 am

Beijingers will be very familiar with this: tighter and tighter restrictions ahead of an international sporting event. Having lived in Beijing during the Olympics in 2008, I can say, humbly, that Beijing’s restrictions were much worse than what’s been happening in Shenzhen so far. Back then, even outdoor eating areas or beer gardens were closed for security reasons, in the middle of summer!

Nonetheless, if you ride the Shenzhen Metro (be careful of those pesky escalators), you’ll have already noticed some enhanced security measures. This is now going to be spread to all forms of public transport in Shenzhen, according to a report in the Southern Metropolis Daily (南方都市报) so kindly translated by @MissXQ:

Shenzhen will extend security checks from the subway to all kinds of public transportation, such as buses, intercity buses, travel vans and taxis from August 1st to 25th, according to a joint announcement from the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau and Transport Commission of Shenzhen Municipality.

Nine classification of items are not allowed to be brought on board public transportation by passengers.

Seems straight forward, right? Well, here are the nine categories:

  • firearms, military or police weapons
  • explosives
  • control tools
  • flammable items
  • toxic chemicals: including cyanide, pesticides and other highly toxic or corrosive materials
  • substances including sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, liquid batteries, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and more
  • radioactive substances: radioisotopes such as radioactive substances
  • anything that may endanger flight safety or interfere with the normal functioning of the various instruments of an aircraft, strong magnetic material, or a material with a strong or irritating smell
  • the provisions of state laws and regulations of other normally prohibited goods for transport

I’m not sure if carrying radioactive material in a Shenzhen taxi was a pressing social issue that needed attention, but there you have it. If you have any stories or good photos of intense security in Shenzhen in the lead-up to the Universiade, send us a quick email to let us know.

Be safe out there.

 

Haohao
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