Apec delegation going to Thailand despite missiles report

11.45am

Prime Minister Helen Clark and senior ministers Phil Goff and Jim Sutton are pressing ahead with plans to attend Apec in Thailand, despite reports of surface-to-air missiles being smuggled into the country.

The Thai press cited an unidentified senior police officer as saying urgent orders had been issued to trace the portable anti-aircraft weapons, usually known by the acronym SAM (surface-to-air missile).

The report added to concern about a possible terrorist attack when 21 world leaders, including US president George W Bush, attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit on October 21-22.

Mr Goff, the Foreign Affairs Minister, said there were conflicting reports about whether the weapons had been smuggled into Thailand but, regardless, there was a generalised threat of terrorism at such a summit.

- NZPA