Security tight in Singapore as Trump-Kim meeting nears

SEOUL – If there’s anything Singapore is known for, it’s law and order.

The wealthy city-state of 5.5 million famously fines people thousands of dollars for littering, has banned chewing gum from the streets and still uses caning as a punishment for minor crimes.

Singapore’s security is also legendary, which is one major reason it was selected for the historic meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, slated to be held Tuesday at the five-star Capella Resort on Sentosa Island.

The country has pulled off other high-stakes meetings in the past, including a 2015 summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan’s then-president, Ma Ying-jeou. Singapore also hosts a major defense conference every year that draws political leaders and military brass from around the world.

While it’s scheduled for one day, Singapore has declared the TrumpKim summit an “enhanced security special event,” with special rules in effect from Sunday to Thursday. A security perimeter will cover Sentosa Island as well as the shoreline of the mainland and extend about 650 feet out to sea. Singapore’s airspace will also be tightly restricted.

Heightened security checks of people and vehicles will be in effect, and a wide range of items are banned, including anything that could be used to make public statements or protests, such as aerosol paint cans, loudspeakers, and large flags and banners.

Banned items include anything that could be used to protest, such as aerosol paint cans or loudspeakers.