Protective cocoon around Sentosa, SAF troops loaded with live ammunition: Ng Eng Hen

SINGAPORE — Sentosa was wrapped in a “dome of security coverage” on Tuesday (June 12) with police and armed forces personnel keeping close watch at ground level, while the Air Force and Navy kept any threats from air and sea at bay.

The security operation, one of the largest in Singapore’s history, went without a hitch.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday afternoon, after the historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and United States President Donald Trump wrapped up at Capella hotel, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen revealed that Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops and platforms had live ammunition to take out any external threats.

“It was ‘no duff’ because the threats were real — not made easier when the time and place of the summit was broadcast to the world,” wrote Dr Ng, using military slang to refer to an incident that is not a drill or training exercise.

Lauding SAF troops for their professionalism, Dr Ng said that the successful completion of the mission “gives confidence that we can protect Singapore, even at short notice”.

In response to his post, Ms Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath, interim charge d’affaires at the US Embassy in Singapore, said on Twitter that the Americans were “deeply grateful” to the Singapore Government and Singaporeans for making the summit a reality.

On Monday, Dr Ng said in a separate Facebook post that the SAF would provide a “dome of security coverage” around the Capella hotel.

Besides vessels from the Police Coast Guard and the Navy, the Air Force’s AH-64D Apache helicopters, fighter jets and Gulfstream 550 Airborne Early Warning Aircraft were dispatched around the island, Dr Ng said. Ground-based air defence units were also on high alert.

Apart from armed forces personnel, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam had earlier said 5,000 Home Team officers, such as those from the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force, were involved in the summit.

On Tuesday, Mr Shanmugam similarly praised Home Team officers for their “tremendous effort” to ensure the summit went smoothly. “They made sure security was good. Our Muslim officers had to handle the extraordinary demands of this summit while fasting. Extra difficult for them. Salute all our officers,” he wrote.

Tuesday’s summit culminated in a joint statement inked by the two leaders, under which the US will provide security guarantees as North Korea works towards complete denuclearisation.

Noting the long road ahead from “armistice to peace treaty”, Dr Ng added: “Singapore has played a small but important role for peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, and indeed that of Asia.”

In preparation for the highly anticipated summit, the Government had gazetted Sentosa and areas near the St Regis Singapore and Shangri-La hotels — where the North Korean and US delegations were staying — as special event areas.

According to government gazette notices put up online on Tuesday, the foreign vehicles used for the summit were exempted from Electronic Road Pricing, road-user charges and Singapore’s vehicle licensing regime.

Heightened security and logistical requirements meant members of the public had to be ready for security checks and road closures. By Tuesday evening, however, workers could be seen removing items that were no longer needed.

Portable closed-circuit television cameras were taken down along Sentosa’s Artillery Avenue while barricades, parking signs and screening machines were removed or packed away in and around Shangri-La hotel.

Most members of the public told TODAY they were barely inconvenienced, although some suggested the measures could have been less obstructive.

South Korean Seol Dong Min, 24, who has lived in Singapore for eight years, said he took public transport to Sentosa on Saturday and did not face much disruption.

“I did see more police officers, but I wasn’t really affected,” said Mr Seol, a customer service executive and Singapore work-permit holder.

Food-delivery rider Arvin, 53, who serves the Tanglin-Orchard area, said he had to undergo numerous security checks as he fulfilled orders from customers. “We are a safe country, (so) why must we bear the inconvenience for (Mr Trump and Mr Kim)?”

Part-time lecturer Ang Yew Hock, 62, felt there could have been fewer barricades and roadblocks.

Noting that the security measures in Tanglin-Orchard were “quite threatening”, he suggested that with good immigration and checkpoints control, fewer barricades could have been set up. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JUSTIN ONG GUANG-XI