On top of the vicinity surrounding Shangri-La Hotel, the resort island of Sentosa — a spot known more for rollercoasters, beach parties and expensive abodes than political pow-wows — has been designated a “special event area” for the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12.
A public order published today has outlined Sentosa and its Harbourfront linkway to the main island as a gazetted area, where extra security measures such as body and bag checks will be enforced on anyone entering the zone. Similar to the “special event area” around Shangri-La Hotel, the borders will be imposed from Jun 10 to Jun 14.
Within this area is a “special zone” with more rigorous security checks on people and vehicles, encompassing theme park Universal Studios Singapore and five-star luxury hotel Cappella. It’s a stricter area where drones, flags, banners, loud hailers, paint spray cans and flammable materials aren’t allowed.
The Capella Hotel is another likely possible place for the landmark summit come June 12, thanks to the US delegation — including deputy White House chief of staff Joe Hagin — having made the upscale lodgings their base during ongoing discussions with their North Korean counterparts.
North Korea’s state affairs commission secretariat Kim Chang Son also met Hagin at Capella after arriving in Singapore in late May to hash out details for the summit.
Seeing that two major areas will be gazetted, the booming costs from extra security and logistical measures should cause a headache to Singapore, already tasked with picking up the bill for the summit. With the eyes of the world and thousands of reporters descending onto the Little Red Dot, the Singapore government will probably need more than contributions from Nobel Peace Prize winners and commemorative medallions to pay for everything.
At this point in time, three hotels in the country are in the mix of spots involved in the first-ever meeting between a US president and a North Korean leader. Shangri-La Hotel off Orchard Grove is high on the list, due to its past in hosting US presidents and major summits, while Marina Bay’s Fullerton Hotel is allegedly where Kim Jong Un wants to bunk in, but not fork out money for.
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