7,000 RP police to guard ASEAN meet

7,000 RP police to guard ASEAN meet

MANILA (Reuters): The Philippines said on Tuesday it would deploy more than 7,000 police and soldiers to safeguard leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) at their summit in Manila this weekend.

Philippine National Police chief Panfilo Lacson said his office had received "very raw reports about demonstrations (and) possible terroristic acts" to disrupt the summit on Sunday.

Asked if the police had received threats against any head of state, Lacson said: "Nothing. Just general information to disrupt the ASEAN summit."

But Lacson said his office was treating the intelligence reports seriously.

The summit will be preceded by several days of meetings of foreign, finance and trade ministers, who are to review the region's recovery from the economic slump of the last two years.