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Australia bans armed bodyguards at CHOGM

Shyam Bhatia in London

Despite threats from anti-globalisation protestors, Australia says it will forbid armed bodyguards from accompanying foreign leaders at the forthcoming Commonwealth summit in Brisbane in October.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is expected to head the Indian delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM. The meetings are held every two years to discuss common interests and initiatives of the 54 member nations.

Anti-globalisation protesters have said they will disrupt the Brisbane CHOGM. Their threat, following last week's experience of violent demonstrations at the G8 summit in Genoa, has prompted security concerns for the CHOGM summit.

But Australia's Attorney General Daryl Williams says only Australian police will handle security for the meeting . In remarks released to the media Williams commented, "We've made it absolutely plain that firm government policy is that foreign security officials will not be allowed to bring firearms into the country. Australian law enforcement agencies accept full responsibility for the safety of the visitors."

Adding that he did not expect Brisbane to expect the same level of protests as Genoa, Williams continued, "Australia's a different place. This is not Europe. While there will be protesters we don't expect it will be anything like the sort of protests" (in Genoa).

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