Aussie police on 'overt op' in RP

Aussie police on 'overt op' in RP

MANILA: Philippine officials confirmed on Tuesday that a handful of Australian federal police have been providing forensic expertise, training and intelligence to Filipino counterparts, and said their operations were not covert.

The officials were reacting to a statement by the Australian Federal Police in Canberra that it currently has members deployed in the Philippines to assist in a counterterrorist capacity.

Australian media reports said Australia has been fighting a covert operation in the Philippines for at least a year, helping combat an alarming rise in Islamic fundamentalism and terror.

"They're forensic, for training. They come and go," Philippine national police chief Arturo Lomibao said.

Foreign affairs spokesman Gilbert Asuque said the presence of Australian police was covered by two agreements -- on combating terrorism and transnational crime -- which were signed during Prime Minister John Howard's visit to Manila in 2003.

Asuque denied their presence was covert, saying the visits are coordinated through the countries' foreign ministries.

The Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph, citing an unidentified police source, said Australian police were involved in preventing a Madrid-style bombing of the Manila train system, tracking terrorists and confirming that a February 2004 ferry fire that killed 118 was sparked by a terrorist bomb.

Philippine officials said last year that they were receiving support from Australia's police, mainly dealing with investigations into terror attacks. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation also has been helping Philippine investigators. -- AP