MANILA: Philippine officials confirmed on Tuesday that a

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

;AP;IVY; ANPAu..r.. ASEAN-Thailand-Southern Violence Suspected insurgents kill three Muslims in southern Thailand JP/11/ASEAN Muslims killed Muslims in S. Thailand: Police

THAILAND: Militants stormed a house and killed three fellow Muslims at evening prayers in an apparent attempt to intimidate government sympathizers and garner support for a violent separatist movement in southern Thailand, police said on Tuesday.

More than 880 people have been killed since January last year when a resurgent separatist movement in the country's three predominantly Muslim provinces bordering Malaysia -- Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat -- resumed a campaign of bombings and killings.

Police Capt. Thaweeksak Thengworawit said the gunmen stormed the rented house in Pattani late on Monday and opened fire on the praying men, before speeding away.

Thaweeksak said the killers left a note with the bodies that read: "All of Allah's fighters stand up and fight to protect the religion and liberate Pattani ... Those who cooperate or spy for the enemy or don't come to us, we will come to get you."

Police said they believed the attack and letter were intended to persuade Muslims to support the separatist cause and intimidate those who support the central government in the Buddhist-dominated kingdom. -- AP

;REUTERS;IVY; ANPAu..r.. ASEAN-Malaysia-corruption Malaysia ruling party moves on vote-buying - paper JP/11/ASEAN UMNO moves on vote-buying

MALAYSIA: Malaysia's ruling party has summoned senior members to answer claims of vote-buying at party elections, a newspaper said on Tuesday, referring to polls seen to have embarrassed the prime minister in his fight against graft.

At least seven members of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) have been given "show cause" letters to appear before the party's disciplinary board on Thursday and Friday, the New Straits Times reported, citing party sources.

The officials include some who ran for UMNO's three powerful vice-presidents' posts and some who were elected to the party's policy-making supreme council, the report said.

The UMNO elections last year were marred by allegations of vote-buying, called into question Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's control over his own party and raised doubts that he had enough support among his own rank and file to fight corruption.

Only months before, Abdullah had led the party to a huge election victory on a campaign to clean up corruption. Abdullah said he was unaware of the identities of those to be questioned and would not interfere in the matter. -- Reuters