May 30th 2003
By David Boey
SHANGRI-LA, a name made famous in the movie Lost Horizon as the land where people do not age, will this weekend become associated instead with battle-hardened defence chiefs and care-worn ministers.
From today, defence heads from more than 20 countries - including the world's most powerful nuclear-armed states - will gather at the Shangri-La Hotel for the second Asia Security Conference organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
When the three-day conference, billed as the Shangri-La Dialogue, gets under way, the ballroom there will have more defence ministers within its walls than any other place in the world.
You do not have to be a defence expert to figure out the kind of security arrangements that have to be made with so many top guns from the world's defence scene crammed in one location.
Against the threat of catastrophic terrorism, this dense collection of key people at a venue frequented by foreign nationals - albeit those with deep pockets - becomes what is known in military parlance as a 'high value target'.
It is a tough assignment, but Singapore has gone ahead with extending its homeland security measures to the conference venue in its usual thorough, methodical style.
One could rightly ask why Singapore has chosen to shoulder the security arrangements needed for the event. Indeed, one could also wonder if such tasks translate into an unnecessary security burden for the tiny city-state.
For a better idea of the magnitude of the tasks Singapore's security forces face daily in securing the tropical island's borders, consider the following:
- Figures from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) show that Changi Airport clocked about 80,000 passengers on an average day last year. CAAS data also shows that around 480 airliners use Changi each day.
- The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority says more than 70,000 people cross the Straits of Johor from Malaysia to Singapore every day. They arrive through the Woodlands and Tuas immigration checkpoints, in the north and west of Singapore respectively.
- Recent traffic data shows that an average of 35,000 motorcycles, 20,000 cars, 1,500 lorries and 800 buses enter Singapore via the Woodlands Checkpoint every day. About 8,000 motorcycles, 2,000 cars, 700 lorries and 150 buses come into Singapore from Tuas daily.
- The Republic of Singapore Navy tracks around 1,400 ships which sail through the Singapore Straits daily. About 10 tankers loaded with flammable liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas or hazardous chemicals arrive in port every day and another 10 en route to Singapore. Between 40 and 50 very large crude carriers can be found in Singapore waters on any day.
And did someone mention Sars?
Against the backdrop of looming security threats, Singapore could have taken the easy way out by asking the IISS to reschedule the event to a more opportune time or, alternatively, to move the conference elsewhere.
Singapore's decision to support the gathering reflects its earnestness in facilitating a safe environment conducive for fostering better understanding between the world's security planners.
The extensive work involved in protecting the Shangri-La Dialogue's delegates underscores Singapore's determination to ensure the conference unfolds smoothly - despite Sars and terrorist threats. The attendance of key defence officials demonstrates their confidence in its ability to provide this protection.
As an inter-governmental forum where defence issues top the agenda, the Shangri-La Dialogue attempts to fill a void in the Asia-Pacific's conference circuit. It also has the potential to develop into Asia's version of the Munich Conference on Security Policy, a renowned conference which brings together policy-makers and security experts from more than 40 countries to discuss defence and security issues of global significance.
The Shangri-La Dialogue had a promising start last May. There had never been a previous occasion when defence ministers from so many Asian nations agreed to meet at one place for talks. The participants included former and current enemies, states that maintained an uneasy truce with their neighbours and those which would rather have other countries as neighbours.
Their willingness to attend the talks bodes well for defence diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific as it allows nations to voice their stand on various security issues without the burden of having their views misinterpreted as a new policy shift - as usually occurs at formal venues.
Trial balloons can be floated, and shot down if necessary. Rough ideas for security policies that are still works-in-progress can be polished in front of a live audience of influential people before such ideas are cast in stone.
The world was already a complicated place without the threat of catastrophic terrorism. The intention of terrorists to wreck the peace worldwide has given added impetus to the importance of crafting and implementing security measures that will foil further attacks.
One should also not underrate the value of the goodwill and friendships built up at informal settings like the Shangri-La Dialogue.
The added security task Singapore's security forces are shouldering this weekend is minor compared to the benefits that Asia's security community can derive from its willingness to try to understand one another better.
