RP says leftists may provoke clashes at APEC

RP says leftists may provoke clashes at APEC

MANILA (Agencies): Leftist groups may be planning to clash with police when the Philippines holds next week's Asia-Pacific summit, organizers said yesterday.

Filipino officials say the summit will be an opportunity for the country to showcase its economic rebirth and potential as Asia's next tiger after cycles of boom-and-bust that once gave it a reputation as of Asia's economic laggards.

Philippine organizing committee director-general Lisandro Abadia said there were no intelligence reports that any foreign extremist groups would disrupt the summit but potential trouble could come from local leftist protesters.

"What I heard is that these hard-headed people will not go to designated demonstration areas but their plan is to foul-bait, taunt our law enforcers," the former Philippine armed forces chief said in a radio interview.

"That's why my instruction to law enforcers is don't be intimidated by these people, don't be provoked...we really must keep our cool."

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, who spoke in the same interview, said leftist groups were bent on creating "a happening" to embarrass the government.

"Our policy is maximum tolerance. We will allow them to air their grievances but we will not allow them to commit acts of violence or create disorder and chaos," he said.

Lim is a former police chief, once labeled the Philippines' "Dirty Harry" after the trigger-happy Hollywood detective played by Clint Eastwood for his tough handling of law breakers.

Leaders of 16 of the 18 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members are expected to attend the Nov. 25 summit at Subic Bay freeport northwest of Manila.

The summit, which will discuss ways of achieving the APEC dream of creating the world's biggest free trade bloc, will be preceded by meetings in Manila of APEC ministers and senior officials.

Lim appealed to protesters to help ensure the success of the summit.

"Let's not disrupt the APEC meeting. It is not only the government or President (Fidel) Ramos that will be embarrassed but the entire Filipino people. Let's put our best foot forward," he said.

Leftist groups planning to organize "protest caravans" from Manila to Subic to coincide with the summit said allegations they planned to foment trouble were government propaganda.

"If there will be provocation it will not come from our side. The arrest of our leader proves it is the government who is the trouble maker," Wilson Fortaleza, spokesman for the Coalition of Filipino Workers BMP, told Reuters.

He was referring to the arrest by government troops of BMP chief Filemon Lagman last week for alleged involvement in the 1992 killing of a policeman by suspected communist guerrillas.

Meanwhile, organizers and hotel officials said yesterday U.S. President Bill Clinton has asked for bed extenders and Indonesian leader Soeharto wants a room filled with red roses during the APEC summit.

The aging Indonesian leader appears to be the hardest to please among the APEC leaders attending the conference, the officials said in interviews published in the Manila Times newspaper.

The Manila Hotel would have to contend with Soeharto's aversion for canned foods and canned juices, as well as eggs and cucumber, the daily quoted hotel officials as saying.

Soeharto also wants his room stocked with dozens of his favorite red roses, they added.

Clinton, who will be staying in the same hotel, has made no special requests except for extenders for his bed.

Some hotels are flying in foreign chefs to cater to the special menu requirements of the leaders, though other delegations have been less finicky.