HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REACTION TO SPECIAL ENVOY FOR

UNCLAS HONG KONG 000194 SENSITIVE SIPDIS TSA FOR SANTO POLIZZI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MARR PREL PGOV HK CH SUBJECT: HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REACTION TO SPECIAL ENVOY FOR MAN-PORTABLE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS THREAT REDUCTION ¶1. (SBU) Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield Jr., Special Envoy for Man-Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS) Threat Reduction, met with Hong Kong aviation officials on January 6 to explain his mission and brief them on U.S. anti-MANPADS efforts. Ambassador Bloomfield met with the leadership of the Civil Aviation Department (CAD),security officials from various Hong Kong based passenger and cargo airlines, Hong Kong Police Force officials, and senior representatives of the Hong Kong Airport Authority (HKAA). Ambassador Bloomfield stressed that the purpose of his visit was informative in nature and did not reflect specific MANPADS threats to Hong Kong aviation. All of Ambassador Bloomfield's Hong Kong interlocutors thanked him for his efforts, affirmed their support for this work, and expressed their confidence that they had taken all available measures to counter the threat of MANPADS to the Hong Kong aviation industry. ¶2. (SBU) During Ambassador Bloomfield's meeting at CAD, Director-General Norman Lo confirmed that a MANPADS-focused security survey based on International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and guidelines had already been conducted at the Hong Kong International Airport and its immediate vicinity. While the Director-General did not provide specific details, he stated that vulnerabilities had been identified and steps had been taken to minimize the threat. HKAA General Manager for Safety, Security, Business Continuity and the Environment John Lamond echoed Director-General Lo's remarks at a separate meeting. ¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Bloomfield suggested to his Hong Kong interlocutors that he hoped to establish a dialogue with appropriate officials from the People's Republic of China (PRC). Sidney Chau, Executive Director of Aviation Security Company Limited, volunteered to convey Ambassador Bloomfield's sentiments and contact information to his contacts within the PRC government. ¶4. (SBU) Security representatives for Cathay Pacific Airways, Dragonair, Air Hong Kong and FedEx Hong Kong reacted positively to Ambassador Bloomfield's remarks as well as a briefing by Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) representative Santo Polizzi's on the TSA MANPADS Assist Visit program. Airline representatives were eager to be briefed on which international airports had been the subject of MANPADS-focused security surveys but understood that security considerations prevented Ambassador Bloomfield from divulging such information. DONOVAN