Dhaka plans security blanket for S. Asia summit

DHAKA, Friday (Reuters) - Police commandos on helicopters will patrol the skies over the Bangladeshi capital and soldiers will guard hotels during a summit of South Asian leaders next month, officials said.

Bangladesh has been hit by a wave of bombings blamed on Islamist militants over the past two months, sparking fears of an attack during the meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that has been postponed twice, including once over security concerns.

"We are going to impose such a tight security that it can only be compared with a curfew, especially on the roads the VVIPs and other guests will use and the hotels they will reside," Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan was quoted as saying by the Jugantar daily.

The leaders of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which make up the 20-year-old grouping, are due to participate in the Dhaka meeting set for Nov. 12-13.

"The entire city will be brought under an invincible security network, with Dhaka airport, roads and meeting venues covered," said a security officer who declined to be named.