SINGAPORE - The Government has declared the area surrounding the Shangri-La Hotel a "special event area" for the period of June 10 to 14, for the upcoming summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
While some observers say this has raised the likelihood of the hotel being the venue of the historic summit, others think the Shangri-La could be where one of the two men will be staying, or a “decoy” altogether.
The choice of summit venue has been shrouded in secrecy so far, leading to all kinds of speculation.
The gazetted area is bordered by Dunearn, Paterson, Grange and Cluny roads. Observers point out that it covers other high-end hotels such as the St. Regis Singapore and Four Seasons Hotel Singapore.
The Capella Hotel on Sentosa and The Fullerton Hotel near Fullerton Road have also been mentioned as either where Mr Trump and Mr Kim will stay, or meet.
An order made on Sunday (June 3) in the Government Gazette under the Public Order Act said the “special event area” will take effect from June 10 and run to June 14.
The order, signed by Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Pang Kin Keong, said the summit may consist of meetings between representatives of the two countries, and includes “any lead-in activities and social events connected with the summit”.
It added that private land in the gazetted area will not be part of the special event area.
The area surrounding the Shangri-La Hotel has been declared by the Government as a "special event area" from the period of June 10 to 14, 2018. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
However, public places in the gazetted area will not be part of the special event area, the order said.
In another order, made on the same day by Commissioner of Police Hoong Wee Teck, a smaller segment within the same area has been declared a "special zone", where enhanced police powers will take effect from June 10 to 14.
There will be special conditions of entry for people or vehicles entering the area, where people might be subject to spot checks or inspections by police officers.
Prohibited items, such as flags, banners, signal flares and flammable materials, will also not be allowed within the area.
The Shangri-La Hotel has held major conferences over the years, including Asean Summits and ministerial meetings, as well as the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, the latest of which ended on Sunday (June 3).
It has also hosted top US leaders such as Mr Barack Obama and Mr George H.W. Bush, and English Premier League club Arsenal. The hotel, which is part of the Kuok Group that is owned by Hong Kong-based Malaysian billionaire Robert Kuok, was also the venue for the 2015 historic meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou.
The announcement indicates a “high likelihood” that the summit will take place at the hotel, said Centre of Excellence for National Security research fellow Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman.
“The hotel has experience, especially in cooperating with security forces, to host high level events of political, diplomatic and multilateral importance such as the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.”
He added that enforcing the Public Order Act for the upcoming summit is also necessary to protect against suspicious people and vehicles entering the area and possible threats like terror incidents and violent protests.
Dr Graham Ong-Webb from S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) said the use of the Public Order Act, which allows stringent security measures like bag checks, anti-vehicle barricades and increased police presence, means that Singapore is taking security for the event very seriously.
“It sends a message that there will be no tolerance of nonsense. This is a serious act with serious consequences.”
This is the second time the Minster of Home Affairs has declared a special event under the Public Order Act since it was amended in April 2017.
The first was during the 32nd Asean Summit. The areas around the Istana and Shangri-La Hotel were designated “special event areas” on April 27 and 28.
RSIS’ associate professor Alan Chong said there could be other areas gazetted as special event areas in the days to come.
He pointed out that the Tanglin area could be used for accommodation of the delegations and not necessarily the summit itself.
Agreeing, Dr Ong-Webb said the gazetting of the area could be an attempt to “throw the wider public off the scent” and prevent crowds from gathering near the actual site before security arrangements are in place.
More than 3,000 journalists are expected to be in Singapore to cover the event.
“The element of unpredictability still prevails, and things might only become clear just days before the summit takes place,” said Dr Ong-Webb.
Meanwhile, some residents of the affected area interviewed last night said the excitement of being within walking distance of the Summit outweighs any inconvenience they might have to put up with.
Administrative manager Yeo Su Chen, 50, who lives off Orange Grove Road, said police check points are a common sight during major events like the Shangri-La Dialogue.
“This is a piece of history in the making for world peace and we are happy to be so close to where it is expected to happen... we are all very proud and happy that Singapore is hosting such an important event,” said Mrs Yeo.
Businesswoman Alice Fong, 34, who has lived in the area for most of her life, said: “The security searches have never affected me and my family and take at most a couple of minutes as it is unlikely that any of us carry any prohibited items around anyway.”
A Shangri-La spokesman said “it is still business as usual”, adding that the hotel is not in a position to comment on behalf of summit stakeholders.
The special zone also covers malls such as Forum The Shopping Mall and Tanglin Mall.
Businesses there will likely see a drop in footfall during the period, said Mr Pang Fu Wei, managing director of baby products retailer Mothercare, which has an outlet in Forum.
But he added that the mall relies a lot on enrichment centres to drive footfall. “As long as people keep sending their kids to the centres, I think it shouldn’t be too much of a problem,” he said.
Hotel owned by Hong Kong billionaire Robert Kuok has record of hosting high-level summits – and would satisfy Pyongyang’s insistence that event cannot be held in an American or European owned venue
Singapore has moved to declare its leafy diplomatic district near the popular Orchard Road shopping belt a “special event area”, fuelling speculation that the landmark summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will take place at the Shangri-La Hotel.
The announcement in the government gazette came as diplomatic sources told This Week In Asia on Monday that Pyongyang was insistent that the June 12 event could not be held in an American or European owned venue.
Sources also indicated that if everything went smoothly, the two leaders would stay at separate hotels and convene at another hotel for the summit. Not one of the three premises would be owned by a Western company.
The five-star Shangri-La Hotel is part of the Kuok Group, owned by Hong Kong-based Malaysian billionaire Robert Kuok.
Two other hotels that have seen heightened security activity, according to local media reports, are owned by Singaporean families. These are the waterfront Fullerton Hotel and Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, home to the Universal Studios Singapore theme park.
Fullerton Hotel is owned by the Sino Land Company founded by the late real estate tycoon Ng Teng Fong and which is a major property player in the region and Hong Kong, while Capella Hotel is owned by Pontiac Land Group belonging to the Singaporean family known as the Kwee brothers.
“Optics will matter significantly. The two leaders cannot be staying at the same hotel and one cannot be seen as calling on the other. They must appear at the summit at the same time,” said another source. “Everything has to be timed with impeccable precision.”
East Asia security expert Steve Tsang said “symbolism and paranoia may both be at work” in the arrangements being demanded.
“Knowing how much both sides want the summit to happen Mr Kim must feel that he can insist on a few matters that are unlikely to be vetoed by the Americans. Insisting on using a hotel not owned by ‘the West’ certainly has a symbolic value in highlighting that the president of the United States, leader of ‘the West’ will meet Mr Kim as an equal,” said Tsang who is from London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.
And Kim and his security corps are “very probably paranoid” not just with physical safety but also security of their communications, he added.
However, there has been no official indication yet that these two hotels will play a part in the summit.
Monday’s announcement by the Singapore government did not mention a specific venue, saying only that the area, one of the Lion City’s most prestigious residential districts, would be made a special event zone from June 10 to June 14.
WATCH: Singapore summit back on: is Trump ignoring Kim’s history?
The declaration means that, under the country’s Public Order Act, police can step up security measures in the area such as stopping and searching people.
Loudhailers, aerosol paint, flares and explosives are among items banned from special event zones. The flying of drones is also prohibited.
The gazette document said the summit could include “lead-in activities and social events” linked to the main event.
The area is home to several high key buildings including the US and Australian embassies and Interpol’s Singapore office.
Residents who live near the hotel are accustomed to heightened security measures because it hosts the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum attended by defence ministers from around the world as well as more senior leaders.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote speech at the forum this year.
For the annual event, the Singapore government deploys a large force from the police Gurkha contingent.
Apart from the annual security forum, the Shangri-La Hotel in 2015 played host to the landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and then Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou.
More than 3,000 journalists are said to have registered to attend the event.
WATCH: Kim Jong-un impersonator arrives in Singapore
Officials told This Week in Asia security at Changi Airport would be stepped up this week.
On Monday evening, a This Week in Asia reporter at Shangri-La Hotel spotted no visible police presence in the surrounding area.
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SINGAPORE: The area around Shangri-La Hotel Singapore has been designated as a special event area for the upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
This was announced in a public order published in the Government Gazette online on Sunday (Jun 3). Extra security measures will be in force for the period between Jun 10 and 14.
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The summit is scheduled for 9.00am on Jun 12.
Apart from what would be a historic meeting between Trump and Kim, the public order notification states that the event may also include a series of meetings between representatives of the US and North Korea, as well as "any lead-in activities and social events connected with this summit".
Shangri-La Hotel has been touted as one of the likely venues for the summit, as speculation mounted in recent weeks about where the meeting would be held.
Other locations that have been mentioned as possibilities include The Fullerton Hotel in the Marina Bay area and Capella in Sentosa. There has been no confirmation of the venue for the summit.
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Within the special event area, there will be a special zone where stricter security checks will be conducted on people and vehicles. The special zone covers an area including Claymore Road, Cuscaden Road, and parts of Nassim Road and Grange Road.
The map showing the area gazetted as a special event area for the Trump-Kim summit. (Map: Government Gazette)
Special measures apply to such event areas. For instance, people entering the special event area must allow the police to inspect their personal belongings if asked.
In addition, certain items will not be allowed to be taken into the special event area.
These include explosives and arms as well as aerosol paint containers or substances "capable of being used to mark graffiti". Loudhailers and flags or banners larger than 1m by 1m or with a handle longer than a metre are also not allowed within the special event area.
