Anarchist group plans to disrupt ASEM summit

Helsinki
An anarchist group has threatened to bring "chaos" to the streets of Helsinki this weekend, when the Finnish capital hosts the ASEM Summit of European and Asian leaders.

"We heard news about peasants and sweatshop workers rioting all around China on almost a daily basis," the group was quoted by AFP as saying on its website. "The least we can do together to support them is to bring at least a bit of chaos to streets of Helsinki as well".

Under the slogan "Smash ASEM", the website calls for protestors to assemble on Saturday at 5.45 pm (1445 GMT).

The group calls itself "Coalition Dongzhou" after the coastal village in China's southern Guangdong province where clashes between security forces and residents took place in 2005.

"(The) EU elite does not even pretend to influence the human rights situation in Burma, China or Vietnam, except when blackmailing even more suitable conditions for investments," it said. "One does not find human rights in the list of priorities of ASEM."

ASEM groups the 25 member states of the European Union, the European Commission and 13 Asian countries including China, Japan and Indonesia.

Issues on the agenda for the September 10-11 summit include global security threats, energy security, climate change, WTO negotiations and ways to strengthen cultural dialogue.