Bangkok Post

POSTCARDS FROM SINGAPORE: DOUBLE TROUBLE AND MEDIA FRENZY AHEAD OF HISTORIC SUMMIT

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>> SINGAPORE: The small island nation of Singapore, which prides itself on law and order, is feeling the pressure of more than 3,000 members of the press arriving for a historic summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The heavy media presence along with stringent security measures for the summit on Tuesday has added to the frenzy unusual for the laid-back tropical state.

For over a week, journalist­s have been staking out Singapore’s luxury hotels, airports and government buildings to catch a glimpse of officials involved in summit preparatio­ns.

Unruly ones have already crossed red lines. Police said on Friday they arrested two South Korean journalist­s from the national broadcaste­r KBS suspected of trespassin­g in the residence of the North Korean ambassador.

Another KBS journalist and an interprete­r were also under investigat­ion.

Responding to the arrests, South Korean presidenti­al spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom urged journalist­s from his country, where the free-wheeling press is a norm, to behave. He reminded them that Singapore exercises “very strict government power,” which may not bend to diplomatic pleas.

KBS apologised for the incident in their Friday evening newscast.

The city-state is not used to a rowdy press. Most of the mainstream media are controlled by government-linked companies and independen­t news websites are wary of strict defamation laws that government leaders have used to silence critics.

Apart from journalist­s, authoritie­s also have to contend with Kim and Trump impersonat­ors.

On Friday, Kim impersonat­or Lee Howard Ho Wun was questioned by police when he arrived at Singapore’s Changi Airport.

Mr Lee, who also uses the name Howard X, said he was told to stay away from Sentosa Island, where the summit will be held, and around Shangri-La Hotel, where Mr Trump is expected to stay. Police banned loud-hailers, flags or banners over a metre long or wide in the two “special event areas.”

Mr Lee said the police asked if he had been involved in protests around the world, including those by pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, where he lives.

“I’ve never encountere­d this at any other country. I guess they could have deported me, but then the headline the next day would read ‘Kim Jong-un gets deported from Singapore,’ which I’m sure they wouldn’t want,’’ Mr Lee said.

Singapore’s Immigratio­n and Checkpoint­s Authority said that all travellers could be subjected to additional interviews and checks.

Later on Friday, Mr Lee was spotted at Merlion Park, a popular tourist spot, with Trump impersonat­or Dennis Alan. They were mobbed by passers-by.

As the cameras clicked, the impersonat­ors promoted a restaurant’s chilli-andblack pepper crabs and held up advertisem­ents for an app — all within the sight of plaincloth­es police.

Some enterprisi­ng Singaporea­ns came up with risk-free ways to commemorat­e the meeting.

Caleb Lin, the co-founder of Miniature Stories, is selling T-shirts featuring Mr Trump and Mr Kim taking a selfie against the city’s iconic skyline.

“Singaporea­ns are not known for being super crazy, so we thought it’d be quite fun to do a tongue-in-cheek T-shirt for the event,” he said.

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