December 31, 2003
TOKYO — Millions of revelers from Sydney to Shanghai celebrated the coming of 2004 Wednesday with fireworks and parties as authorities tightened security against possible terrorist attacks.
Photo: Coast Guard officer Brett Patterson, of Jacksonville, Fla., holds a M-240 machine gun aboard a helicopter during a patrol around the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. The homeland security patrol flights are responses to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's request for national support during the increased terror alert threat issued by the Department of Homeland Security. (AP Photo/USCG, Mike Hvozda)
First to greet the new year were residents of Kiribati, a tiny island halfway between Hawaii and Australia, followed an hour later by New Zealand, where thousands of revelers crammed into a public square, waved glow sticks and danced as 2004 got under way.
Sydney's famous Harbor lit up in colorful fireworks Wednesday, a pre-midnight show to entertain families that had arrived hours earlier to secure prime viewing positions along the city's foreshore.
Police shut down roads to allow spectators to sprawl across streets, squeezing together in hopes of a good view.
Sydney resident Dave White secured his spot at the steps leading to the landmark Sydney Opera House early. "We got here at 12.30pm and this was the last decent spot going," he said.
A tactical response team scoured the streets on the lookout for everything from drunken revelers to possible security threats.
In Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was scheduled to join revelers in counting down the final seconds before midnight in a park at the foot of the Petronas Twin Towers, two of the world's tallest buildings.
A police spokesman said security would be tightened on the streets of Malaysia's capital, where tens of thousands of people were expected to usher in the New Year. He said, however, police had no information about any specific threats.
Photo: Sydney's fireworks impress once again.
In China, where Chinese New Year will be celebrated Jan. 22, holidays like Christmas and New Year's have been growing in popularity in recent years as Western styles are embraced.
In Beijing, the capital, throngs were expected to gather at the Dazhong Ancient Bell Tower for an outdoor performance and midnight ringing.
In Shanghai, a huge party was scheduled for the Xintiandi Complex, where thousands of young people were expected to watch fireworks, see musical performances and participate in what was billed as an "all-night rave."
"It's in the nature of the Shanghainese to adopt the best traditions from all over the globe, whether East or West," said Vincent Lo, the head developer of Xintiandi. "Shanghai prides itself on doing things in a global way -- without, of course, losing sight of its Chinese heritage."
In Hong Kong, activists planned to kick off the New Year with a pro-democracy rally they say will draw thousands -- following up on a protest of 500,000 on July 1 against an unpopular anti-subversion bill many feared would curb freedoms.
Police declined comment on security arrangements.
In the Philippines, officials warned against the misuse of firecrackers and guns by showing maimed victims on television and threatening to arrest those who fire their weapons in celebration.
New Year's Eve revelry in the Philippines has been traditionally bloody because of the widespread use of powerful firecrackers and guns that hurt hundreds, set houses ablaze, engulf whole cities in smog and force airports to close.
Superstitious Filipinos believe the noise will drive evil and bad luck away.
Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said 187 people, about half of them children, have already been injured by firecracker blasts in the 10 days through Dec. 30 compared to 122 injuries over the same period last year.
In Tokyo, some 2.2 million people were expected to file into Meiji Shrine -- Japan's most visited -- before dawn on New Year's Day to toss coins, offer prayers and buy charms. Shrine spokesman Yoshiki Koshi said about 500 policemen were being mobilized to control the visitors.
According to Japan's National Police Agency, 86 million people -- in a nation of 120 million -- are expected to make pilgrimages to local temples or shrines in the first three days of the New Year.
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