VZCZCXRO8905
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHHK #0194 0300907
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300907Z JAN 09
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6797
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2883
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3465
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5084
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/TSA HQ WASHINGTON DC

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