RP says leftists may provoke clashes at APEC<\/p>\n
MANILA (Agencies): Leftist groups may be planning to clash
\nwith police when the Philippines holds next week's Asia-Pacific
\nsummit, organizers said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Filipino officials say the summit will be an opportunity for
\nthe country to showcase its economic rebirth and potential as
\nAsia's next tiger after cycles of boom-and-bust that once gave it
\na reputation as of Asia's economic laggards.<\/p>\n
Philippine organizing committee director-general Lisandro
\nAbadia said there were no intelligence reports that any foreign
\nextremist groups would disrupt the summit but potential trouble
\ncould come from local leftist protesters.<\/p>\n
\"What I heard is that these hard-headed people will not go to
\ndesignated demonstration areas but their plan is to foul-bait,
\ntaunt our law enforcers,\" the former Philippine armed forces
\nchief said in a radio interview.<\/p>\n
\"That's why my instruction to law enforcers is don't be
\nintimidated by these people, don't be provoked...we really must
\nkeep our cool.\"<\/p>\n
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who spoke in the same interview,
\nsaid leftist groups were bent on creating \"a happening\" to
\nembarrass the government.<\/p>\n
\"Our policy is maximum tolerance. We will allow them to air
\ntheir grievances but we will not allow them to commit acts of
\nviolence or create disorder and chaos,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Lim is a former police chief, once labeled the Philippines'
\n\"Dirty Harry\" after the trigger-happy Hollywood detective played
\nby Clint Eastwood for his tough handling of law breakers.<\/p>\n
Leaders of 16 of the 18 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
\n(APEC) members are expected to attend the Nov. 25 summit at Subic
\nBay freeport northwest of Manila.<\/p>\n
The summit, which will discuss ways of achieving the APEC
\ndream of creating the world's biggest free trade bloc, will be
\npreceded by meetings in Manila of APEC ministers and senior
\nofficials.<\/p>\n
Lim appealed to protesters to help ensure the success of the
\nsummit.<\/p>\n
\"Let's not disrupt the APEC meeting. It is not only the
\ngovernment or President (Fidel) Ramos that will be embarrassed
\nbut the entire Filipino people. Let's put our best foot forward,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Leftist groups planning to organize \"protest caravans\" from
\nManila to Subic to coincide with the summit said allegations they
\nplanned to foment trouble were government propaganda.<\/p>\n
\"If there will be provocation it will not come from our side.
\nThe arrest of our leader proves it is the government who is the
\ntrouble maker,\" Wilson Fortaleza, spokesman for the Coalition of
\nFilipino Workers BMP, told Reuters.<\/p>\n
He was referring to the arrest by government troops of BMP
\nchief Filemon Lagman last week for alleged involvement in the
\n1992 killing of a policeman by suspected communist guerrillas.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, organizers and hotel officials said yesterday U.S.
\nPresident Bill Clinton has asked for bed extenders and Indonesian
\nleader Soeharto wants a room filled with red roses during the
\nAPEC summit.<\/p>\n
The aging Indonesian leader appears to be the hardest to
\nplease among the APEC leaders attending the conference, the
\nofficials said in interviews published in the Manila Times
\nnewspaper.<\/p>\n
The Manila Hotel would have to contend with Soeharto's
\naversion for canned foods and canned juices, as well as eggs and
\ncucumber, the daily quoted hotel officials as saying.<\/p>\n
Soeharto also wants his room stocked with dozens of his
\nfavorite red roses, they added.<\/p>\n
Clinton, who will be staying in the same hotel, has made no
\nspecial requests except for extenders for his bed.<\/p>\n
Some hotels are flying in foreign chefs to cater to the
\nspecial menu requirements of the leaders, though other
\ndelegations have been less finicky.<\/p>",
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