KUALA LUMPUR - Thousands of police, some armed with M-16 rifles, have been deployed in the Malaysian capital as part of a massive security plan ahead of the upcoming Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit, top

police officials said.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Dell Akhbar Khan told AFP late Saturday that the deployment of some 8,500 armed security personnel, including anti-terror units, was the largest ever mobilisation by the police for an international meeting.

"It is normal that we consider the international environment and not just internal factors when we plan for the security," he said when asked whether police took into consideration the threat of regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

"I think in the past, even with the JI threat, we have been very cautious. We must ensure the safety of our guests."

JI is suspected of being responsible for the deadly Bali bombing which killed more than 190 people last October.

114 member states

The summit, to be held o­n February 20-25, brings together leaders or representatives from NAM's 114 member states. Some 12,000 delegates begin arriving in the capital Monday.

Among the leaders to have confirmed their attendance are Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Philippine President Gloria Arroyo.

"We are prepared for any contingency. We hope it will be another successful outing for Malaysia and the police force," Dell said.

Leaders along with their spouses and hundereds of delegates will be housed in 10 of the biggest hotels in Kuala Lumpur. Some 1,046 bullet-proof vehicles are being deployed to escort foreign heads.

A trial run in which major roads were sealed off to allow the "convoys" to proceed from the hotels to the summit centre caused a major traffic jam o­n Saturday.

"We seek the cooperation of the motorists. We need to transport the leaders from o­ne place to the other safely," Dell said.

High risk countries

National police chief Norian Mai had said police were not leaving anything to chance as the leaders attending included some from "high risk" countries. He did not elaborate.

Norian said police would pay extra attention to individuals carrying bags or packages in the city or at any of the summit venues.

"Policemen will be stationed at street corners, hotels and other busy areas. They will frisk anyone whom they deem to be 'suspicious characters'," he was quoted as saying by the Malay Mail newspaper Friday.

Norian said police helicopters would be deployed for aerial surveillance and to monitor the movements of the leaders when they travel in a convoy.

The NAM movement, formed as an alternative to the Western and Soviet blocs during the Cold War, has been seen as increasingly irrelevant since the collapse of the Soviet Union. - AFP