COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is deploying 12,000 more police to guard South Asian leaders, who will also have their own heavy security, for a regional summit next week, officials said on Thursday.

Police deputy Inspector-General Nimal Mediwaka said the 12,000 men will reinforce soldiers, who will also deploy in strength ahead of the two-day South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit starting on Aug 2.

“The heads of state will have their own security personnel to provide close protection,” said Mediwaka, who is responsible for security in the already tightly-guarded capital of 650,000 people. He said key roads in the city will be closed for normal traffic during the summit that will be attended by leaders of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

India is reported to be bringing in thousands of troops as part of security for its Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who will also travel within Sri Lanka in Indian military helicopters and bullet-proof cars.

New Delhi is sending war ships to anchor off Sri Lanka’s coast to evacuate its delegates in case of any closure of the island’s only international airport, diplomats here said.

Sri Lankan authorities have in the past shut the airport and the island’s air space when Tamil Tiger rebels used light aircraft to carry out bombing missions over Colombo. The Tamil Tigers, however, have announced a unilateral truce for the duration of the summit.