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Friday, June 6, 2014

Hong Kong Airlines Warned of Possible Security Threat

(WSJ) Authorities in Taiwan have warned Hong Kong-based airlines about a possible security threat to flights bound for the city from mainland China.

Taiwan's Aviation Police Bureau said Friday that it received an alert on Wednesday that a woman may be planning to board a flight operated by Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. or its China-focused unit, Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Ltd., with a bomb in the next few days.

"We will continue to work closely with the relevant authorities and have reminded our frontline teams to remain vigilant as usual," a Cathay Pacific spokeswoman said.

A Taiwanese aviation official who declined to be named didn't offer more details on the warning. "We are still investigating the claim and its primary source. We aren't speculating whether it's a credible threat or not," the official said, adding airports in Taiwan usually receive more than 100 such claims every year. Taiwan's National Security Bureau wasn't immediately available to comment.

Hong Kong police said they had no solid intelligence to show the city was a target of terrorism and the "moderate" alert level would remain in effect.

The city's airport operator said it was made aware of the warning and that flight operations at Hong Kong International Airport remain normal.

Hong Kong Airlines Chief Operating Officer Jeff Sun said his airline has received intelligence from various sources, including Taiwan authorities, about a possible bomb threat, and that it has sent out alerts to its ground staff and flight crews to raise their awareness of in-flight security.

The warnings follow a string of attacks in China targeting civilians that Beijing has labeled acts of terrorism. The incidents have increased scrutiny on the western Xinjiang region of China, which has a large Muslim ethnic population. The warnings also come after tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong rallied on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the 1989 crackdown on student protesters in Beijing.

Source: Wall Street Journal by Joanne Chiu and Aries Poon


from China Travel & Tourism News http://ift.tt/1iB6EFm

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