RPT-Olympics-China's army promises Games security assured

(refiles fixing day in fourth para)

By Ian Ransom

NANKOU, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Among display tanks and simulated war games, Chinese military officers on Friday sought to assuage security fears for the Beijing Olympics and assure the world that the country's military build-up was peaceful.

China has said terrorism remains the biggest threat to the Olympic Games that open in a week, with homegrown forces rather than international terrorist groups the most likely to plan and carry out attacks.

But the country is relying on its own police and troops for Games security, which officials have said should cost far less than the $1.8 billion bill to safeguard Athens in 2004.

As China passed the 81st anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Friday, reporters were given a rare, if carefully choreographed, glimpse inside an army training base and barracks near the Great Wall on Beijing's northern outskirts.

The 8,000 personnel of the 21st Regiment of the PLA's 6th Armored Division, a specialist tank and artillery unit, are unlikely to be thrown into ground operations during the Games, but officers were keen to impress that the base is on high alert.

'UTMOST PRIORITY'

"For the complete success of the Beijing Olympic Games, our utmost priority is to ensure it is safe," Senior Colonel Chen Xuewu, the 21st Regiment's chief officer, told reporters.

"This division is stationed in Beijing and our main task is to secure the capital," Chen said.

With most of the 21st Regiment training elsewhere, the few remaining troops at the base were flung into a scripted public relations campaign, executed with military precision.

Reporters were greeted by a column of marching troops and a brass band, before being ushered into a gymnasium to watch a video of ground-level war-games.

A war simulation room with squads of troops yelling out attack orders while glued to computer screens, contrasted with soldiers painting calligraphy, playing music and quietly reading military literature in the base's cultural centre.

Despite the care given to show the "human" face of China's armed forces to reporters, military officials solemnly repeated Beijing organisers' time-worn mantra: the Games are under threat from hostile forces.

TERRORIST ORGANISATIONS

"I believe that during the Games, there will be terrorist organisations both inside and outside of China who will try to sabotage and interfere with the Games proceedings," said Tian Yixiang, Military Bureau Director of the Beijing Olympic Security Command Centre.

To this end, the PLA had pushed more than 34,000 soldiers and officers into Olympic-related security work in Beijing and other co-host cities, Tian said, including 74 jets, 48 helicopters, 33 ships, some ground-to-air missiles and radar systems, and chemical prevention and engineering equipment.

"All in all, China's security forces are confident and capable of safeguarding the Olympic Games," Tian said.