The director of the Judiciary Police (PJ), Chau Wai Kuong, has stated that the threat of a terrorist attack in Macau remains low, in light of a recent report issued by Hong Kong-based risk consultancy Steve Vickers and Associates.
The Vickers report suggested that although the risk of an attack occurring in Macau remained low, the territory presented itself as “an attractive target given the nexus of Chinese, American and Jewish interests in the gaming sector.”
Gaming tycoons Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn both have Jewish origins and extensive stakes in Macau’s gaming industry, holding two of the six gaming licenses in the MSAR between them.
PJ director Chau said that Macau’s security forces regularly train with their counterparts in Hong Kong and in mainland China, although he stressed that the likelihood of an attack occurring was very low.
He added that Macau has been developing mechanisms for dealing with such an event, and has focused resources on preventing the spread of terrorist activities to the region.
“The Secretary for Security once said that the risk [of a terror attack] is quite low in Macau, but we do have a mechanism to deal with that,” Chau told TDM reporters.
“We are actively carrying out preventive measures such as collecting data and participating in joint anti-terror drills with police forces in Hong Kong, mainland China, and even Guangdong Province,” the director added. “We hope to strengthen our cooperation through these drills in order to prevent any kind of terrorism.”
Eric Sautedé, a political commentator and contributor to the Times, noted that he has “strong reservations about a possible convergence of so-called ‘Chinese, American and Jewish interests’ [making Macau a target].”
“From what I know,” he said, “it was never a concern in the past for Adelson.”
“It is always possible, of course, but bringing the war to Chinese territory would be a clear suicidal move,” Sautedé added. “ISIS is already withdrawing part of its assets to Libya.”
The Vickers report made reference to the terrorist attack in Guangzhou in March last year, which left at least six injured from a knife assault at a major train station in the city.
Chinese state media Xinhua reported that the perpetrators were Muslim Uighurs from Xinjiang Province – a region where Xinhua says Chinese intelligence has monitored a significant growth in radical Islam.
Chau Wai Kuong reiterated that Macau’s security forces have remained vigilant and have been holding consultancy
meetings over security matters in recent years to prevent this sort of attack from occurring in the SAR. Staff reporter
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