The Government has declared the area surrounding the Shangri-La Hotel a “special event area” for the period of June 10 to 14, for the upcoming summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

While some observers say this has raised the likelihood of the hotel being the venue of the historic summit, others think the Shangri-La could be where one of the two men will be staying, or a “decoy” altogether.

The announcement indicates a “high likelihood” that the summit will take place at the hotel, said Centre of Excellence for National Security research fellow Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman.

Dr Graham Ong-Webb from S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) said the use of the Public Order Act, which allows stringent security measures like bag checks, anti-vehicle barricades and increased police presence, means that Singapore is taking security for the event very seriously.

“It sends a message that there will be no tolerance of nonsense. This is a serious act with serious consequences.”

RSIS’ associate professor Alan Chong said there could be other areas gazetted as special event areas in the days to come.

He pointed out that the Tanglin area could be used for accommodation of the delegations and not necessarily the summit itself.