A no-fly zone above the high-speed rail terminus, part of a locked-down zone, as Hong Kong rolls out a security blanket for Xi Jinping’s visit to mark the 25th anniversary of the handover
The source added that preparations for the closure around the station will begin before midnight on Tuesday.
Mr. Xi will not stay in the city overnight and is expected to return to Shenzhen by train after attending a party hosted by outgoing Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor at the official residence. at the Government House in Central Vietnam. He will also meet officials from both the current and upcoming administrations.
Officers stand guard outside West Kowloon station. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
Another source said a dense police presence and high-level patrols would be deployed in the nearby West Kowloon Cultural District although the president is not expected to visit the Palace Museum. there.
The Hong Kong Science Park, where Mr. Xi could visit, issued a notice to companies and employees, saying they would make special arrangements and set up security checkpoints from Monday. Thursday. The Department of Transport also said special arrangements will be in effect from Wednesday to Thursday to facilitate police operations.
Hong Kong Science Park in Sha Tin, where Mr. Xi is expected to visit. Photo: KY Cheng
From 1pm on Tuesday, a restricted area has been established at Victoria Harbor, off the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wan Chai, with the support of the Coast Guard, according to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. . Arrangements will be made until 11.59pm on Friday.
The ministry said it was part of “public safety and security arrangements related to the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region”.
During this time, the ministry said in its announcement that “no ships, other than government ships, will be allowed to enter or remain in the restricted area”.
The president is expected to return to Hong Kong by speedboat on Friday morning. He will preside over a ceremony marking the handover anniversary and oversee the swearing-in of incoming chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his cabinet at the convention and exhibition center. After the ceremony, Mr. Xi will leave the city.
Over the weekend, police erected large water-filled barricades around the convention center in Wan Chai, including along Harbor Road and Golden Bauhinia Square.
The parcel It has been known that the president’s itinerary may be changed or canceled at the last minute due to various factors, such as the coronavirus situation in Hong Kong, where the number of cases has increased over the past two weeks.
