Security operation in full swing as Hong Kong gets ready to host Chinese state leader Zhang Dejiang
Police launch major security blanket for National People’s Congress Standing Committee chairman involving 6,000 officers, as radical protesters remain coy about their plans for protests
Hong Kong police on Tuesday are mounting their biggest security operation yet for a visiting state leader, with the risk level at its highest, as more than a dozen groups hold protests and radical activists keep their action plans secret.
More than 6,000 police officers will throw a security blanket around Zhang Dejiang that will move around the city with him and which has even been extended to the top of Lion Rock, where officers are camped out to prevent protesters hanging massive banners that could embarrass him.
The chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee lands at Hong Kong International Airport at noon for a three-day visit. The 6,000 officers deployed for his protection each day include those from the Counter Terrorism Response Unit and elite commandos from the Special Duties Unit, also known as the Flying Tigers.
With the risk level for Zhang raised to the maximum, police search teams on Monday put the finishing touches on securing nearby roads and rooftops, and indoor venues Zhang will visit.
Restricted zones around the Grand Hyatt hotel, where Zhang is staying, and the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai were cordoned off by water barriers.