Elizabeth Tang, a spokeswoman for the Hong Kong People's Alliance (HKPA) said Monday the group intends to ask the police later this week to appoint special officers to mediate between protesters and security forces in the event of clashes.

According to Margrete Strand Rangnes of conservation group Sierra Club in the United States, the presence of such an ``international NGO liaison officer'' during the last ministerial meeting in September 2003 in Cancun, Mexico, was a significant factor in explaining the lack of violence there.

This is in contrast to the US ministerial meeting in autumn 1999 in Seattle when, she said, police ``overreaction'' contributed to the outbreak of violence.

Tang said the ``unfriendly attitude'' displayed by Hong Kong police to date has made activists feel ``uncomfortable.''

The relationship between the two is already off to bad start, she claimed.

Tang hopes for clear communication with police, and reiterated that the alliance will call on all NGOs to adopt a non-violent, peaceful approach.

There is no need, she said, for the police to waste taxpayer dollars on additional weapons.

Tang could not say just how many protesters she expects at the December 13-18 meeting.

Earlier media reports put the figure at around 5,000.

Total attendance at the meeting is estimated at 15,000, which includes 8,000 government officials and 1,000 representatives from the press.

A police spokeswoman said the force will appoint an officer ``to explain the laws of Hong Kong to the activists.''

Also Monday, Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee refused to say whether the government has a blacklist to prevent troublemakers from entering Hong Kong to stage protests.

``We can't answer in detail our future actions,'' he told reporters.

Lee echoed activists' call for peaceful protests.

``We hope demonstrators can cooperate with police to carry out their protests in a peaceful and orderly manner during the World Trade Organization ministerial conference,'' he said.

More than 3,000 police are expected to be deployed to keep public order throughout the city.

The costly conferences have attracted increasingly vocal and at times violent protests by a wide range of groups who claim that the agendas of the WTO, World Bank and International Monetary Fund have been hijacked to serve the interests of wealthy nations and multinational corporations.

Monday's press briefing came after a two-day conference organized by the HKPA in anticipation of December's meeting.

It was attended by 250 participants from 23 countries representing 110 organizations concerned about the negative impact of the WTO on people's lives and the environment, particularly in developing countries.

Established in December 2004, the HKPA is an umbrella organization of more than 24 NGOs and trade unions that is acting as the coordinating body for local and international anti-WTO protesters during December's meeting.

colum.murphy@singtaonewscorp.com

dennis.ng@singtaonewscorp.com