ST Explains: What is a gazetted area and how do I avoid accidentally entering one?
The cyclist who got hit by a bullet on June 15 had entered a restricted forest area specified by Mindef for firing practices or military manoeuvres. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
ST Explains: What is a gazetted area and how do I avoid accidentally entering one?
SINGAPORE - A man was hospitalised after he suffered a gunshot wound to his lower back while cycling with his friends in a restricted area between the Upper Seletar and Upper Peirce reservoirs on June 15.
At the time of the incident, the man was about 2.3km away from a military range in Nee Soon, where an authorised live-firing activity was taking place.
Mindef said in a June 16 statement that under the Military Manoeuvres Act (MMA), 'unauthorised persons are not allowed to enter gazetted areas designated for SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) live-firing in consideration of their own safety'.
Here's what you need to know about restricted areas in Singapore.
Q: What are gazetted areas?
In Singapore, an area can be recognised, or gazetted, by the Government for purposes such as conservation, public safety and national security.
In the case of the cyclist who got hit, he had entered a restricted forest area specified by Mindef for firing practices or military manoeuvres.
Mindef has the authority to declare areas for such purposes under the MMA, said LIMN Law Corporation managing director John Lim, an expert in land law. The ministry may also declare that such areas are no longer used for such military purposes.
Other than military uses, areas may also be gazetted for the purposes of preserving the appearance of an area under the Planning Act, or tree conservation under the Parks and Trees Act, among others.
These would be published in the Government Gazette, an official public record that is available online.
Q: What are some examples of gazetted areas in Singapore?
Examples of such areas used by the military are the Jurong Troop Manoeuvring Ground, the Changi Troop Manoeuvring Ground and even Bedok Jetty, Mr Lim noted. Other areas also include firing grounds such as Pulau Tekong, Mandai Camp IV 25m Range and Nee Soon Ranges I and II, he added.
Such areas are comprehensively defined by both coordinates and distance in the Military Manoeuvres Proclamations.
There are two tree conservation areas – Central and Changi – which contain a particularly high density of mature trees. These areas are gazetted to prevent the unapproved felling of these trees, some which are more than 100 years old, according to NParks.
There are also over 7,000 buildings, mostly shophouses and bungalows, gazetted for conservation. These include buildings in the four historic districts of Boat Quay, Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India, and some residential districts such as Cairnhill and Emerald Hill.
Q: How are gazetted areas similar to or different from protected areas or places?
You may have seen bright red signs outside certain facilities, warning people that the areas are protected areas or places, and that people should not enter such areas unless they are allowed to.
According to the Singapore Police Force website, a protected area or protected place is a location 'where special measures are needed to control the movement and conduct of persons for public safety and security reasons'.
Protected areas, such as the land checkpoints, are generally accessible to the public, while people have restricted access to protected places, such as military camps and water treatment plants, according to the same website.
There is no one distinguishable factor between gazetted and protected areas or places, according to Mr Lim.
Locations can be designated protected areas or places under the Infrastructure Protection Act (IPA), or the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act (PAPPA), he said.
Those locations declared under the Infrastructure Protection Act tend to be sensitive installations or infrastructures, Mr Lim said, while those declared under the PAPPA are areas and premises where special measures are deemed necessary to control the movement of people.
For example, Shangri-La Hotel was designated a protected area under the PAPPA during the Shangri-La Dialogue, the international defence forum, on May 30 to June 1.
Roads near and leading to the hotel were subject to closures or traffic diversions, while people who sought entry to the area required valid pass cards or permits, among other security measures.
Q: Can a location be both a gazetted area and a protected area/place, and can I be punished under multiple laws if I am found in one such location?
Yes. It is possible that the same areas may be gazetted under both the MMA and the PAPPA.
Q: What punishments could I face if I go into a gazetted area or protected area or place?
An individual found to have unlawfully interfered with a military manoeuvre or entered a camp without authority faces a $2,000 fine or a six-month jail term.
Other examples of punishments include facing a $20,000 fine and two years' imprisonment under the IPA for anyone caught taking photos or videos of a protected area.
An unauthorised person found to have entered a protected place without a valid permit or without prior permission, in violation of the PAPPA, faces a $1,000 fine and two-year jail term.
A person found to have damaged a tree with a girth of more than 1m in a tree conservation area faces a $50,000 fine as a violation of the Parks and Trees Act.
Q: When was the last time someone was charged under the MMA or the PAPPA?
There are no known prosecutions under the MMA, said Mr Lim.
However, there are a number of prosecutions under the PAPPA.
Notably in 2010, Swiss national Oliver Fricker and his accomplice were sentenced to two months in prison for violating the PAPPA by breaking into SMRT's Changi depot.
Q: How do I know when and where the SAF would be holding its training exercises?
The Mindef website publishes advisories on the locations and dates of SAF military exercises, where live-firing and demolition activities may be conducted.
The public should avoid areas where the SAF will be conducting military and live-firing exercises, Mindef says.
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
Ohio man charged for allegedly threatening US Congressman Max Miller
U.S. Republican congressional candidate Max Miller speaks during former U.S. president Donald Trump's rally in Youngstown, Ohio, U.S., September 17, 2022. REUTERS/Gaelen Morse/File Photo Police in Ohio said on Friday they had arrested a man after he allegedly ran a U.S. Congressman off a road, threatened the politician and his family, and yelled antisemitic slurs and waved a Palestinian flag before fleeing. Police in Rocky River, Ohio, said in a statement that they had arrested Feras Hamdan, 36, of Ohio, in connection to the alleged targeting on Thursday of U.S. Representative Max Miller, a Republican representing Ohio, in the suburb about 10 miles (16 km) west of downtown Cleveland. Hamdan, police said, voluntarily turned himself into police. Hamdan was arraigned on Friday and charged with aggravated menacing and ethnic intimidation, according to Deborah Comery, the Rocky River Municipal Court clerk. Hamdan, who could face up to five months in jail, pleaded not guilty and is being held on a $500,000 bond. Hamdan's attorney, Issa Elkhatib, said in a written statement that the allegations against Hamdan were "baseless and outrageous" and that they "amount to defamatory attacks on his character and reputation." Elkhatib said that Hamdan was a respected local doctor who had no prior criminal history, and that he was confident "the truth will win and that Dr. Hamdan's good name will be fully vindicated." Political violence in the U.S. has been on the increase. A man in Minnesota was arrested on suspicion of assassinating a state lawmaker and her husband last weekend, and shooting and injuring another lawmaker and his wife. The Rocky River police statement said that Miller called 911 on Thursday morning to report that he was run off the road while traveling with his family on Interstate 90 in Ohio. The police said Miller reported an assailant yelled antisemitic slurs and waved a Palestinian flag. "The deranged hatred in this country has gotten out of control," Miller wrote on social media. "As a Marine, a proud Jewish American and a staunch defender of Israel, I will not hide in the face of this blatant antisemitic violence," he wrote. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Straits Times
North Carolina resident killed in Puerto Rico for flashy jewelry
SAN JUAN - A North Carolina resident vacationing with his family in Puerto Rico was killed overnight in a robbery, leaving him stripped of the luxury jewelry he was wearing, police said on Friday. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Noa Joshua Ameson, 38, was on vacation in Manati, to the west of capital San Juan. Police told Reuters the beachside neighborhood where the incident took place is usually quiet and robberies of this nature are uncommon, marking a rare outbreak of violence in the area. CONTEXT Ameson and his family were returning to the vacation home they were renting when armed, masked attackers intercepted them, Axel Valencia, spokesperson for the Puerto Rico police, told Reuters. Valencia added that Ameson may have tried to fight back when one of the attackers shot him. He was taken to hospital, where he died. WHAT'S NEXT Police are working to obtain security footage and to identify a vehicle which the attackers may have escaped in, Valencia added. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
18 hours ago
- Straits Times
UK police arrest six on suspicion of assault near Iran's London embassy
UK police arrest six on suspicion of assault near Iran's London embassy LONDON - British police arrested six men on suspicion of grievous bodily harm on Friday following reports of an altercation at a location close to the Iranian embassy in London. "Six men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm – they remain in police custody," police said in a statement. Local media reported the arrests took place at a protest against the Iranian leadership. Police did not link the arrests to the Iranian embassy, but said they took place on Prince's Gate in London, which is where the embassy is located. "Two men were treated for injuries at the scene and have been taken to hospital for further treatment by the London Ambulance Service. 'Police have cordoned off the area while initial investigations take place.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
