KOTA KINABALU: A strong police presence greets delegates of the Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat which began with a meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee at the Magellan Sutera Harbour here.
Metal detectors and scanners were put in place at several locations to screen delegates as well as the media at the resort along with teams of uniformed police personnel and the canine unit patrolling the perimeters.
About 600 police personnel have been deployed since yesterday to secure all venues where activities for foreign ministers and delegates will be carried out during the four-day event.
This includes Le Meridien Hotel, where a bilateral meeting between Indonesia and Malaysia is being held followed by a press conference by Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman at 2.30pm.
Sabah police commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman had said all roads and sea routes were also secured to ensure safety of the foreign ministers and delegates.
The retreat is the first in the series of Asean Meetings under Malaysia's Asean Chairmanship.
During the Retreat, Asean foreign ministers are expected to discuss the priorities of Asean for 2015 and the Asean Communtity's Post 2015 Vision.