[wellard]

From the Sydney Morning Herald

It took a comedian in an Osama bin Laden outfit to rouse Sydney's APEC security monster into action after the convoy assembled by the ABC TV program passed two police checkpoints to pierce the sniper-ridden "ring of steel".

The much-vaunted protection for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit was peeled away with embarrassing ease yesterday by satirists armed with hire cars, Canadian flags and a colour printer.

Eleven people were charged last night with breaching APEC security zones after the fake motorcade with bonnet-mounted flags sailed past the checkpoints to drive within metres of the InterContinental hotel, where the US President, George Bush, is staying.