A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Anti-terrorism training for tourism operators |
|---|
| Halima |
| 07/02/03 at 05:22:32 |
| Business Wednesday, July 2, 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anti-terrorism training for tourism operators By ROBERT NYAGAH Tourism operators are to be trained on how to detect and handle suspicious people. The training will be done by two British anti-terrorism experts who are already in the country also to study the industry's preparedness for the threat. Mr Andrew Ashwood and Mr Andy Clancy of the New Scotland Yard metropolitan police said yesterday that detecting suspects and countering their actions did not require sophisticated skills and equipment. The success of such campaigns, they said, depended mainly on the alertness and cooperation of the public and people in tourism. They said reports of their findings would be "factual and frank". The officers had called on Malindi District Commissioner M.A. Maalim before conducting closed-door training and demonstration at Hemingway Hotel. "The cooperation of members of the public in anti-terrorism campaigns is very important, and we shall provide only basic skills on how to detect and counter terrorists. We do not intend to go into hi-tech issues and providing the equipment," Mr Ashwood said in Malindi Town. The DC said there had always been security alert in the district because of foreigners entering the country illegally. Fishing dhows could easily bring in innocent-looking aliens, who could later turn out to be dangerous, he noted. But fishermen had been directed to be on the look-out for such people, the DC said. Several foreigners, mainly from neighbouring Somalia, had been arrested and charged with various offences. Surveillance along the borders and the coast had been intensified to curb illegal entries, he added. Mr Maalim said that since the government started cracking down on terrorism, patrols had been intensified off the coast, with police and the Navy working closely with fishermen. However, local anti-terrorist officers lacked technical know-how to deal with the menace, he said and called for professional and equipment assistance from donor countries such as the US and the UK. The government, the DC said, had directed all hoteliers to be on the alert when dealing with guests and to keep their particulars, which would be useful in pursuing them should the need arise. Mr Maalim criticised the mushrooming of illegal villas and private houses run by foreigners. This, he added, denied the government revenue and put at risk the lives of guests diverted from licensed hotels. "The government cannot ensure security of tourists who book holidays in the cottages and villas, because they are illegal and used to divert tourists from well-known and classified tourist establishments," he said. |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |