HONG KONG (AFP) - HONG Kong police deployed bomb disposal experts on Thursday after finding a package purporting to contain explosives near a busy street, in the third such incident during the Olympics.

Parts of downtown Hong Kong including a busy train station were shut off after a security guard discovered the package with a note saying it contained explosives, local broadcaster RTHK said.

The scare, which led to major traffic jams around Mong Kok station in Kowloon, came amid heavy security in the southern Chinese territory, which is hosting the Olympic equestrian events from September 9 to 21.

'These people are very irresponsible. They have disrupted the peace and order of the city and must be condemned,' Mr Suen said, referring to the culprits behind the latest incident, as well as two other recent hoax cases.

Mr Suen said there was no evidence to suggest the three incidents were connected to the Olympic equestrian events or were terrorist activities.

Earlier Thursday, police said they found a suspicious package in a flower bed outside the five-star Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel, where Hong Kong's leader will hodst a reception next week for International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge. Many VIP guests attending the Games are staying at the hotel.

Police later determined the object was a mobile phone and a charger entangled in a piece of metal wire, according to RTHK.

Last Friday, a train station had to be closed after a suspicious package was found there just hours before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

Police later said the device was handmade fireworks and posed no threat.

Hong Kong's police commissioner said before the Games the force would be on guard against the 'ever-present threat of terrorism' during the Olympics.

Up to 4,000 officers have been deployed to ensure security and several activists were refused entry to the territory in the run-up to the Games.

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