Approximately 16,000 people will gather in Singapore for the annual International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank meetings scheduled from September 13-20, 2006. During this period, global activists are calling for protests in Batan, Indonesia on September 15-17 against the IMF and a global action against international financial institutes from September 14-20. Southeast Asia also needs to be on alert for potential terrorist attacks seeking to draw media attention away from the meetings. In 2005, as the G-8 Summit was underway in Scotland, terrorists conducted suicide bombings in London , shifting the world’s media focus away from the Summit to London.
This writer toured some of the IMF meeting sites and spoke with officials, as Singapore prepares to host the international meetings. Security will be tight, but small protests?due to the restrictions that Singapore places on outdoor protests, difficulty in getting to Singapore, and harsh enforcement of any protests–could take place. Usually the IMF meetings draw a large number of protests; however, Singapore has banned outdoor protests during these meetings. Under the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act, “outdoor protests and marches involving more than 5 people requires a permit.” Singapore’s Chief of Police Soh Wai Wah said any protests might “compromise security,” and the police force was unwilling to take chances vis-?-vis terrorism.
Singapore has not been immune from terrorist plots in the past. In 1998, Mohamed Khalim bin Jaffar and Hashum bin Abas, both members of a local Jemaah Islamiyah cell, cased and videotaped the Yisbun MRT subway as part of their preparation to bomb this site (Terrorist Incident forthcoming). This plot surfaced in 2001, when Muhammad Aslan Yar Ali Khan, a Singaporean of Pakistani descent was captured in Afghanistan . Khan provided information on the Singapore cell, and a copy of Khalim’s reconnaissance video was recovered at Abu Hafs’ house in Kabul. In the last five years, Singaporean police arrested over 50 members of JI.
Police have not received any specific intelligence on terrorists planning attacks during the IMF. The US Embassy in Singapore issued a Warden Message advising American citizens to heighten their security precautions (Advisory). It is unlikely, however, that attacks will occur during the meetings. People will likely encounter traffic restrictions around the Suntec Singapore Center and other IMF sites and hotels.
Small protests from activists and local politicians may take place, but they will be more peaceful than what was seen in Seattle in 1999 or in Cancun in 2003. For example, Chee Soon Juan, the leader of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), was denied a permit to stage a march during the IMF meetings. He may stage a protest without the permit to highlight how restrictive Singapore is. Whether he stages his protest or someone else organizes one, security should be sufficient to maintain social order and to thwart any major attacks against the IMF/World Bank.
