Organizers: Beijing Olympic Village offers good religious service

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BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A Beijing Olympics official said here Friday that since the Olympic Village opened on July 27, its religious service center had received 665 athletes and officials from more than 50 countries and regions.

Deng Yaping, deputy director of Olympic Village Department and spokeswoman for the Olympic Village, said at a press conference that 69 professional religious service volunteers at the center had provided around-the-clock services to villagers in English, Arabic, Italian, French, Korean and Hebrew.

On Aug. 3, a foreigner came to the center to ask for a prayer ceremony for his mother who had died a few days ago. A priest prayed for the man.

Deng said that on the following Sunday, the priest asked all the people who had come for praying to stand and pray again for the man's mother. The visitor said he left the center with peace of mind and was greatly moved by the love and concern he received by the people from different countries.

Deng said the village provides services in five religions, including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hindu and Judaism. Bibles are displayed in the religious service center and athletes can use them free.

She also briefed journalists on other services and environmental protection measures in the Village.

She said the main dining hall for athletes served the largest number of guests in Olympic history on Aug. 8 when the Games opened. From noon to 5:00 p.m., 18,634 people dined there, far exceeding the comparable figure of 9,876 at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and 10,515 in Athens in 2004.

The Beijing Olympic Village received the largest number of worldwide dignitaries in Olympic history. The number far exceeded expectations. By Aug. 14, a total of 62 heads of state, government and royals and leaders of international organizations paid visits to the Olympic Village.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge and his predecessor Juan Antonio Samaranch also visited the Village, Deng disclosed. Rogge lived in the village for three days from Aug. 10 to 12.

The Olympic Village has done "the best job in environmental protection in the history of the Olympic Games," Deng said.

The village uses the most advanced biotechnology system to treat six tonnes of kitchen waste daily. Hot water is supplied via the 6,000 square meters of centralized solar water heating system.

from:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/15/content_9343081.htm

Public gets tips to fight terrorism

By Zhu Zhe
China Daily Staff Writer
Updated: 2008-07-23 06:33

Stay calm, don't touch it, move away quickly and send a text message to police, possibly with a photograph. That's how police want people to respond when they see something that looks like a bag with explosives.

The advice is part of a new anti-terrorism manual the Ministry of Public Security has prepared in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games.

It is the first government warning that addresses the public and tells it how to tackle a situation in case of a terrorist attack.

People have welcomed the new manual, available on the Internet and at some police stations from last weekend.

"It's really a timely book. It tells us when and where to be aware of danger, and how to protect ourselves," Zhang Jun, head of the security staff of the Chengwaicheng Furniture Mall, said Tuesday after getting a few copies of the manual from Xiaohongmen police station.

Liu Wancheng, head of a neighborhood committee in Beijing's Fengtai district, said he would write the manual's warning tips and how to handle a potential attack on a blackboard. "I think the public should know about them."

The manual tells people how to react during 39 possible situations, including an explosion, shooting, hijacking, and chemical or nuclear attack.

"The book is practical. If people follow its instructions, they can escape or even prevent a terrorist attack," the public security ministry has said on its website.

Terrorism remains a real threat to the Games. Only last week, Ma Zhenchuan, director of the Beijing public security bureau, said the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, labeled as a terrorist organization by the UN in 2002, poses a "real threat" to the Olympics because investigations show it has been plotting attacks on Olympic venues.

Li Wei, director of the anti-terrorism research center of China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said Tuesday that the manual would raise public awareness on counter-terrorism.

"Compared with hardware such as advanced weapons, software like public awareness and emergency plans are more important in the fight against terrorism," said Wang Dawei, a professor with the Chinese People's Public Security University.

Li, however, said the manual could have provided more information on how to deal with public panic after an attack. "The book focuses too much on actions to be taken but doesn't tell people how to face their fears," he said.

The public should not get paranoid. "Instead, we should feel confident (to face any situation)," he said. "Terrorists can be identified and nabbed if the public is vigilant."