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.