ST Explains: What is a gazetted area and how do I avoid accidentally entering one?

Straits Times

6 hours ago

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.
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