Thai police step up ASEAN security, fear demonstrations

Thai police step up ASEAN security, fear demonstrations

BANGKOK (Reuters): Thai authorities have boosted security
measures ahead of next week's meetings of Southeast Asian foreign
ministers for fear domestic protesters may disrupt them.

"Apart from regular security plan, we also have a contingency
plan to cope with any irregularities. We are on full alert,"
police spokesman Pol. Maj. Gen. Chatchawal Suksumjit told Reuters
on Saturday.

He said the plans, which include patrols of special branch and
border police along with regular officers, aimed to smooth
traffic flow and protect delegates from the protests.

The Nation newspaper quoted National Police Commissioner
General Pornsak Durongkawiboon as saying he had heard anti-dam
protesters and their opponents planned demonstrations.

He said police would have to keep the two sides apart to
prevent violence or anything that might hurt the country's image
during the week-long series of meetings.

Last Monday, Bangkok police arrested more than 200 people who
invaded the grounds around Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai's offices
to protest against a dam in northeast Thailand.

Foreign ministers from the 10 members of ASEAN are due to meet
on July 24-25 ahead of regional security talks later in the week
with Japan, China, South and North Korea, the United States,
Russia and the European Union.

The ministers will tackle security issues ranging from
Indonesia's bloody ethnic conflicts to Indochina's cross-border
trafficking in drugs and people.

The region's wrenching economic crisis of the past few years
has exacerbated the problems, a senior Thai official said on
Saturday.

"The (foreign) ministers will devote a lot of their time to
discuss the security implications of globalization," said Nitya
Pibulsonggram, the Thai Foreign Ministry's permanent secretary
and chair of the preparatory sessions.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The ASEAN ministers are expected to call for a peaceful
resolution of the religious killings in Indonesia's spice
islands, Maluku, where thousands are said to have died.

Bangkok's Nation newspaper said senior officials preparing the
meeting would urge foreign ministers to consider a statement
supporting Indonesian territorial integrity and a peaceful end to
the other conflicts convulsing the country.

Nitya said ASEAN foreign ministers would also tackle regional
crime, health and environment issues.

Plumes of smoke from forest fires on Indonesia's island of
Sumatra have wreathed parts of Malaysia and Thailand in smog over
the last few days, prompting fears of a re-run of the widespread
health problems and disruption to tourism caused in 1997.

Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Sulaiman Adbul Manan
said his country would support ASEAN talks on the smog problem.
Jakarta has admitted it has no strategy to douse the fires.

Earlier this week, Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said
the meeting's priorities also included how to address small arms
smuggling.

Despite the region's array of problems, Thailand's plan for a
so-called "troika" model to speed the bloc's often sluggish
response to crises could run into trouble.

The model is inspired by the European Union's practice of
having the current EU president head a three-way, decision-making
group to lead the way on ad hoc issues.

However, ASEAN have traditionally stuck to a policy of non-
interference in each others' affairs and changing this attitude
promises to be a thorny process.

"This mechanism should be implemented only when all parties
agree on a situation that needs (it) to be implemented," Nitya
said.

Human rights group Amnesty International said rights
violations were at the root of regional conflict and instability.

"ASEAN leaders and dialog partners should include human rights
protection in any discussion on conflict prevention and
resolution," it said in a statement.

"If ASEAN is to seriously address regional security, it must
take up the challenge of promoting and protecting the full
spectrum of human rights -- economic, social, civil and
political," it urged.