May 30th 2003
BOMB-sniffer dogs went into action and baggage scanners were installed yesterday at The Shangri-La Hotel, ahead of the high-level defence talks that start today.
The measures are part of a broader plan to provide round-the-clock security for the second Asia Security Conference, organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based think-tank.
Teachers and students of the nearby Raffles Girls School get an unexpected day off today because of the tight security in the area.
Their school is being used to house emergency-service vehicles like fire engines and extra security personnel tasked to protect the hotel.
Gurkhas will also be stationed in the hotel, where it will be business as usual, but the National Security Secretariat, which is coordinating the arrangements, declined to reveal how many are involved.
Motorists and pedestrians in the vicinity of the hotel will be checked at several road blocks that have been set up along the roads leading to the meeting venue, according to a police spokesman. The blocks will be in place till 8am on Monday. They are at:
- Anderson Road near the junction with Stevens Road;
- Anderson Road near the junction with Orange Grove Road;
- Ardmore Park near the junction with Anderson Road;
- The entrance and exits of The Shangri-La Hotel.
Defence ministers and armed forces chiefs from more than 20 countries will be attending the three-day event, which is Asia's biggest gathering of defence ministers.
A Ministry of Defence official said: 'This security operation is complex as it involves not just the Singapore Armed Forces but also the police and civil defence force, so there's a lot of planning and coordination involved.'
