ASEAN CHIEFS OF NAT'L POLICE MEET ON TERRORISM, DRUGS, THIS WEEK AT
MANILA HOTEL

Officials and members of the ASEAN Chiefs of National Police
(ASEANAPOL) will hold its 23rd annual conference to tackle terrorism,
drugs, and other crimes this week at the Manila Hotel with the
Philippine National Police (PNP) as this year's host.

PNP chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. will lead the 11-man
delegation of the Philippines that will discuss various international
issues on law enforcement cooperation with counterpart officials from
nine other ASEAN countries.

"The PNP takes pride in hosting this year's summit of heads of police
agencies from different countries in the Southeast Asian region. We
are certain that this conference will yield fruitful results to
further enhance international cooperation," said Ebdane.

The opening ceremony and first plenary session will be held on
Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 9 a.m. with Interior and Local Government
Secretary Jose Lina Jr. as guest of honor and speaker.

Heads of delegations at the conference are: Deputy Commissioner PG
Ahmad HJ Damit of the Royal Brunei Police Force; Police Lieutenant
General Mao Chandara of the Cambodian National Police; Police General
Dors. Da'l Bachtiar of the Indonesian National Police; Police Colonel
Khampha Sengdara of the Lao People's Democratic Republic General
Department Police; Deputy Inspector General Dato' Seri Mohd Bakri B.
HJ Omar of the Royal Malaysia Police; Brig. Gen. Khin Yi of the
Mayanmar Police Force; Commissioner Khoo Boon Hui of the Singapore
Police Force; Police Genera Tawatchai Pailee of the Royal Thail
Police; and Police Major General Pham Van Duc of the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam.

Attending the conference as guest observers are Dr. Wilfrido
Villacorta, ASEAN deputy secretary general; Nurchaida Andi Rita, ASEAN
secretariat; Police Colonel Panaspong Sarawongse of the International
Criminal Police Organization (Intepol); Peter Vowe, Interpol Regional
Police Service director; Geoff Eyles, Interpol Crime intelligence
officer; Commissioner Michael Joseph Keelty of the Australian Federal
Police; Federal Agent Brian McDonald of the AFP-Manila police liaison
officer; Federal Agent Courtney Christie, Austrial Federal Police
observer; Commissioner Rob Robinson of the New Zealand Police; Supt.
Stuart Wildon, NZP staff officer; and Supt. Hamish McCarle of the NZP.

Among the vital points included in the agenda of the three-day
conference are the prevailing security issues on terrorism, illegal
drugs and commercial crimes.

Others specific matters to be discussed in meeting are mutual
assistance on criminal matters, the Aseanapol electronic database,
bank offenses, fraudulent travel documents, and cross-training
arrangements.

The heads of delegation are expected to issue a Joint Communique at
the culmination of the conference which will be the highlight of the
three-day meeting.

It is the fourth time for the Philippines to host the annual Aseanapol
conference since its founding and first conference in Manila in 1981.

It is the fourth time for the Philippines to host the annual Aseanapol
conference since its founding and first conference in Manila in 1981.

The 22rd ASEANAPOLl Conference was held last year in Phnom Pehn,
Cambodia. The head of the Philippine delegation was then PNP chief
Director General Leandro R. Mendoza, now secretary of the Department
of Transportation and Communication (DoTC).

Velasco

Deputy Director General Reynaldo V. Velasco, chief of the National
Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO), yesterday assured that
necessary security preparations are now in place for the 23rd
ASEANAPOL conference among nine Southeast Asian police chiefs and
their staffs.

Velasco directed the five Metro police directors to draw a contingency
plan, which should contain the preemptive and preventive measures to
ensure the safety of the delegates.

The top police officers and delegates would come from Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam.

"The 23rd ASEANAPOL conference is very timely in view of the local and
global threat of terrorism and will be a big boost in a collective
action against terrorism and other transnational crimes," Velasco said.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said that the recent Southeast
Asian's successes in the global war on terrorism could lead to "acts
of desperation" as she urged neighbors to keep up their guard.

The 23rd ASEANAPOL conference was originally scheduled last May but
was postponed due to different problems that hit the member countries
including the worldwide crisis brought by the dreaded Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus.

The ASEANAPOL conference is expected to enhance the security
preparations of each member countries through the exchange of
information and ultimately a unified action plan on how to fight
terrorism in Asia.

"With the summit, the nine Southeast Asian police chiefs will be able
to draw up measures to effectively thwart any move to carry out
terroristic attacks in their respective countries," Velasco said.

The ASEANAPOL conference is expected to come up with possible action
against terrorism and improving further intelligence sharing.