FBI chief arrives in Manila

FBI chief arrives in Manila

PHILIPPINES: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Robert Mueller arrived in the Philippines on Sunday for talks with President Gloria Arroyo on the U.S.-led international antiterrorism campaign.

Mueller flew in from Bangkok on the fifth leg of a tour through Southeast Asia that has also taken him to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta.

U.S. Embassy officials here declined to discuss his itinerary, but Arroyo aides said the president would receive Mueller at Malacanang Palace on Monday.

More than 600 U.S. troops are advising Filipino soldiers hunting down the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in the southern island of Basilan. Filipino officials said on Sunday that Washington wanted to add an extra battalion -- between 800 and 1,000 soldiers -- to conduct civic action projects on Basilan, where the guerrillas are holding a U.S. Christian missionary couple hostage. --AFP