The government on Thursday staged a large-scale counter-terrorism exercise at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal to test how departments coordinate the handling of attacks and emergencies, while raising public awareness.

Codenamed "Bravelight", the drill began with extremists storming the terminal, sparking a gunfight, casualty treatment and a bomb disposal operation using robots. The Fire Services Department and the Hospital Authority set up a triage zone to handle large numbers of casualties, while police, customs and immigration officers screened evacuees, uncovering forged documents.

The action then moved offshore, where marine police intercepted a speedboat and rescued around 20 hostages from a passenger vessel, with support from helicopters, divers and fireboats. A critically injured victim was airlifted to hospital. The drill ended with a convoy of government vessels, showcasing Hong Kong’s joint counter-terrorism capabilities.

The Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre was activated during the exercise, with oversight from Chief Executive John Lee, Chief Secretary Eric Chan and Secretary for Security Chris Tang.

In a statement, Lee said while Hong Kong remains generally safe and stable as an international city, the complex global terrorism situation necessitates strengthened coordination and response capabilities among various government departments to address both international and homegrown threats.

“During this large-scale counter-terrorism exercise, each department performed its respective duties, fully demonstrating its professional competence in responding to terrorist incidents," he said.

"The relevant departments will consolidate the experience gained to further strengthen the overall counter-terrorism work of the HKSAR Government.”

Speaking to the media after the drill, senior superintendent at the Inter-departmental Counter Terrorism Unit Peter Leung said the exercise involved hundreds of personnel across multiple departments, and also showcased new equipment and technology.

He noted that it was the first large-scale inter-departmental counter-terrorism drill since the "Three-tier Prevention Framework" was introduced in the Chief Executive John Lee’s Policy Address last year, and the first time the exercise was broadcast live on television.

“This exercise tested our communication and coordination capabilities across different departments in a terrorist attack scenario. We also invited nearly 200 members of the public from various sectors and age groups. Through their participation and engagement we have enhanced counter-terrorism awareness and preparedness in the community,” he said.

He explained why the cruise terminal was chosen to host the drill.

“If a critical infrastructure in Hong Kong was attacked by terrorists or extremists, it would seriously damage our economy and public confidence in the government and society. One of our main objectives is to choose a critical infrastructure site to test our counter-terrorism preparedness,” he said.

The exercise involved the Customs and Excise Department, Correctional Services Department, Fire Services Department, Government Flying Service, police and Immigration Department, as well as the Government Laboratory, the Hospital Authority, the Marine Department, and the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal operator.

A man surnamed Lo, who played a tourist in the exercise, said he took part because he wants to join the disciplinary forces one day.

"These jobs cannot be done alone. They require a lot of teamwork. I hope the exercise can enhance my collaborative abilities and at the same time, help me better understand the work of each department. I think this experience was very beneficial for me," he said.

A man surnamed Leung, who observed the exercise, said it was very informative and exhilarating.

"I just saw nearly ten government departments collaborating on a joint exercise. Throughout the entire process, the connectivity and collaboration among them were very smooth," he said.

"I also saw many new technological products, such as this firefighting robot and a bomb-disposal robot. There were many personnel working together in this collaboration and I really enjoyed it."