Tight security planned for NAM summit

Tight security planned for NAM summit

MALAYSIA: Kuala Lumpur will deploy 8,000 police, seal key routes and provide bullet proof cars for visiting leaders during the 114-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit, a senior minister said on Tuesday.

The unprecedented security arrangements for the Feb. 24-25 summit here were planned in the light of terror attacks worldwide, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told reporters.

"This time, the security is going to be very, very tight. We want to make sure when leaders come here they feel safe."

Syed Hamid said there had been lots of speculation about the security situation in Malaysia, hence "we are not leaving anything to chance.

"Security is given the top consideration."

Malaysia has detained more than 70 alleged Islamic militants since the middle of last year, many of them linked to the Jamaah Islamiyah group blamed for the Oct. 12 Bali bomb massacre that killed more than 190 people in neighboring Indonesia. -- AFP