SEOUL Reuter: South Korea opened the Athletes village for this month’s Asian Games in Seoul pledging maximum security against possible sabotage attacks
Prime Minister Lho Shin-Yong told at the opening ceremony “We will do our utmost to ensure a thoroughgoing security system to prevent any mishaps threatening the safety of the players and officials participating in the Asian Games”.
More than 4000 athletes from 29 countries are expected to compete in the games due to run from September 20 to October 5.
Of the 36 countries which are eligible communist North Korea is boycotting the competition and six other socialist countries Afghanistan Laos Mongolia Vietnam South Yemen and Burma are Unlikely to take part the organizers said.
Pyongyang has denounced the choice of Seoul to host the Asiad and the 1986 Summer Olympics as a scheme to perpetuate the Korea division The Koreas fought in a 1950-1953 war.
South Korea has put its 100000 policemen on special alert saying there is a strong possibility that the north and international terrorist groups will try to disrupt the Asian Games
Thousands of antigovernment students have also clashed with riot police in the last few weeks demanding the scrapping of the Games because they said the government of President Chun Doo Hwan was trying to use them to consolidate his dictatorship.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 12, 1986
