By Purushottam P. Khatri

Kathmandu, Oct. 20: A series of security meetings and a thorough analysis of possible security threats helped Nepali security bodies put in place a full-proof security for the President Xi Jinping that ultimately made the Chinese President’s historic visit to Nepal a grand success, security officials have said.
The security officials termed the visit of President Xi a milestone and unforgettable but full of challenges from the security perspectives.
“Before and on the day of his arrival, all the security bodies had taken their job as a challenge and a historic opportunity to prove the world about strongest security arrangements accorded to President Xi thorough out his visit,” Deputy Inspector General, and Chief at the Metropolitan Police Office, Ranipokhari, Shailesh Thapa Chhetri, told The Rising Nepal.
DIG Thapa Chhetri, who was also one of the core team members of the Committee of the Integrated Security Planning formulated by the government under the leadership of Nepali Army (NA) led by a Major General to prepare all the security arrangements for President Xi’s security.
The visit passed off without any incident of protest or any obstacle. The security accorded to President Xi here had become the talk of the town for days. The image and prestige of Nepal in the world and the in the whole South Asian nations has been boosted after Nepal successfully welcomed and bade farewell to the President Xi, who had come to Nepal on a two-day historic state visit to Nepal on October 12-13.
Since a month before the President’s arrival, the security bodies had started doing homework by collecting, analysing information and documenting possible security threats could well pose hurdle to the historic visit, he shared.
After rigorous sittings and discussions, the team became able to identify and prepare security strategies as planned to foil all possible threats before the arrival of President Xi in Kathmandu and across the Kathmandu Valley, DIG Thapa Chhetri shared.
As per the security threat analysis, the team considered mainly three factors as major security challenges: the Tibetan refugees who are taking shelters in Kathmandu and outside the Valley, Uighur Muslim community of China in Kathmandu, and some individuals who remain as an independent group of people but are considered as anti-China elements, as the major security threats that may spoil all the preparation within a second during the high level state visit, he said.
As per the security threat analysis, Integrated Security Planning team decided to deploy both plain-cloth policemen and uniforms as informants to collect information of that particular security threats from different locations and units.
“We then move into the action preparing the security planning so that no single anti-China movement would happen here in Kathmandu and outskirts of the Valley,” DIG Thapa Chhetri said.
The team also decided the necessity of around 16,000 security personnel to execute all these preparations in the Valley. The number included all security men from four forces, he said.
As per the planning, as a third layer of the security arrangement, heavy deployment of Nepal Police personnel were seen in the ring road- one person was deputed at every two metres to contain every single anti-Chinese movement immediately, he said.
The same kind of planning was executed in the places where Tibetan refugees were taking shelters in Kathmandu and outside the Valley to control their every movement, he said.
Before the visit, Nepal Police detained over three dozen possible anti-China protestors from different parts of the Valley and few also from outside the Valley, DIG Thapa Chhetri said.
Similarly, former AIG of Nepal Police Bigyan Raj Sharma also said that high level of professionalism of all the security forces including the Nepal Police came to fore after Nepal implemented a highly sound security measures for the visit of President Xi for more than 20 hours.
“Our security organs have mobilised some informal channels to put in check any possible security threats from the Tibetan refugees,” he said.
“Even a single black flag raised by any disgruntled person could have a serious impact on the visit, which would be a serious matter of concern for the government. Such incident would have carefully been watched by international media and some anti-China forces too,” Sharma said.
The Nepal Police and the three other security bodies were able to implement strong security measures due mainly to their the past experience which they had gained after concluding such security responsibility at various international forums like 18th SAARC Summit in 2014, BIMSTEC Summit in 2018, and Nepal Investment Summit in 2019, he said.
Sharma said that Nepal’s security bodies have this time done a tremendous job which is at par with international standards and recognition.
After summoning a review meeting on October 14 among the security heads and officials, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa had praised the roles of security bodies and the proficient security measures they had ensured during the high level state visit. He had also said that the visit had sent a good message about security condition in the country to the world communities.
Four VVIP carcade
vehicles from China
On October 9 or three days before the President’s visit to Nepal, two carcade vehicles and two bullet proof vehicles were brought to Kathmandu via two Chinese aircraft. President Xi had landed in Kathmandu by a China Air Boeing 747-8. Such an aircraft had never landed on the Kathmandu airport before this.
The VVIP vehicles were kept under tight surveillance of the Nepali Army at No. 11 Brigade of the TIA airport for three days before his arrival, a source at the Army Headquarters said. A team of trained 17 drivers from the People’s Liberation Army of China had arrived along with the four carcade vehicles. The NA had also deployed special security force throughout the visit hours of Xi.
A separate security cell under the Major General of Nepali Army was in effect throughout the visit period, the source said. A group of about 27 special commandos from the PLA had also arrived from China and were deployed for Xi’s security. The commandos were kept at the very first layer or inner security cell before the security layer of NA.