[*StarDust*]

A 'Special Event' ...

Public Order Act passed in time for Apec meeting to ensure law and order

by Imelda Saad
imelda@mediacorp.com.sg
05:55 AM Nov 04, 2009

SINGAPORE - The Apec meeting to be held here is the first major event to be gazetted as a "Special Event" under the amended Public Order Act introduced earlier this year.

This gives police the power to stop and search, request reasons for entry and deny entry to the gazetted areas.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told local and international media that he does not expect civil society groups to disrupt the meetings, for unlike the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank meeting, Apec does not engage such groups.

Still, security is a concern.

Mr Lee said the new Public Order Act was passed in time for Apec so that Singapore will have "adequate powers to ensure law, order and security".

"We can gazette certain areas and within that area, we can instruct people to move along and not dawdle and attempt to do something which is disruptive. And if they don't, we can take action against them," said Mr Lee.

"When we had a meeting in Sydney two years ago, (the Australians) spent $300 million building a fence surrounding the whole of the centre of Sydney and declared a public holiday, so all Sydneysiders could leave the town and leave us in solitary splendour. We're not going to do quite that but we hope to have a smooth and peaceful meeting," he added.

When Singapore hosted the IMF-World Bank meeting in 2006, the authorities objected to 28 foreigners entering the country - all of whom had a history of taking part in violent protests or disruptive activities at previous meetings.

Civil society organisations which came were allowed to protest in a designated area within the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Source: http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore...vent'-...-

[FieldsOfHope]

Wth? 300million dollar for a fence around the center of sydney? Those money could have been put to better use. =_=