MANILA, Philippines, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Philippine officials are denying that heads of state attending the ASEAN summit in Cebu or other foreigners would be in possible danger from terrorists.
The assertions of security came from Gen. Eugenio Cedo, military commander of Western Mindanao and the government's assistant secretary for the ASEAN summit, Luis Cruz.
"The ASEAN summit is secure ... they (Islamists) cannot slip out (from Sulu) since they are not accepted in other regions, The Manila Times quoted Gen. Cedo in its Saturday edition.
The 12th summit meeting of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is slated for Cebu in the central Philippines beginning Jan. 11. It was to be held last month but the Philippines canceled it, blaming an approaching typhoon. Security sources told the Philippine press, however, that warnings from foreign intelligence agencies of possible planned terrorist attacks were actually behind the rescheduling.
Cebu is north of the Mindanao area where the government is battling Muslim separatists and members of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf Group.
But it is also an area of activity by the communist New People's Army.
Australia, New Zealand and Britain on Friday issued warnings to its citizens to their citizens in the Philippines and those contemplating travel to the country, warning of possible terrorist activity.
The British Embassy in Manila warned that it believed terrorists were in the final stages of planning attacks on Philippine government targets and venues frequented by foreigners.
Canada issued a similar warning earlier in the week.
