Dark history behind the island where Trump and Kim will meet for talks
WHEN US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un meet face-to-face for the first time in Singapore next Tuesday, the backdrop of their historic meeting will be nothing short of magnificent.
Sentosa, an island located south of Singapore’s mainland, features lush greenery, luxury hotels, sprawling golf courses, a glitzy casino and a Universal Studios theme park.
It plays home to some of the world’s wealthiest people, with a marina for luxury yachts and beachfront villas that cost tens of millions of dollars.
Choosing the 500-hectare island for the summit also makes sense logistically. It’s just 500 metres from the mainland and accessed mostly by a single road, offering seclusion and privacy while making it easy to tighten security and choke off traffic for the event’s duration.
However, Sentosa’s breezy and tropical facade belies its bloody history.
Up until 1830, the island was known by its native Malay inhabitants as “Pulau Belakang Mati”. Variations exist on what the name means in English, but one of the more popular translations is “the island where death comes from behind”.
Historians differ on where the ominous name originates, with some speculating that it might refer to the days of piracy, plunder and bloodshed that took place in nearby waters.
Its use during World War II was similarly grisly, as occupying Japanese forces re-purposed it as a camp for British and Australian prisoners of war after the surrender of allied forces in 1942.
Its beaches then became the site of mass executions with large numbers of Singaporean Chinese killed after being suspected of conducting anti-Japan activities.
In 1972, the Singapore government decided to start afresh by redeveloping the island for tourism by renaming it Sentosa, from the Malay word which refers to a state of “peace and serenity”. Almost one billion dollars of public and private funds were pumped into the project to turn into the tourist getaway it is today.
One of its attractions is the Capella Hotel, which will stage the historic summit.
Designed by British architect Norman Foster, who designed Apple’s famously circular headquarters in California and “the Gherkin” in London, the hotel is a restored colonial building that used to house members of the British army, nestled amid lush and manicured lawns.
A check on booking websites showed that the price of one room at this opulent hotel was upwards of 600 Singapore dollars (about R5 800), with the most expensive villa going for an eye-watering 11 000 Singapore dollars. – dpa/African News Agency (ANA)