TOKYO: Countries from the United States to Japan and Singapore are considering tightening security ahead of major theater and sports events following a suicide bomb attack in Britain that killed at least 22 people.
Britain was on its second-highest alert level of “severe,” meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely, after the suicide bomb blast at the end of a concert by US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester on Monday.
The US Department of Homeland Security said it was closely monitoring the situation in Manchester and that the US public may experience increased security at public events.
Japan said it had started gathering information. “We have strengthened our position by establishing an information-gathering unit dedicated to international terrorism,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.
In Singapore, the organizer of Britney Spears’ concerts in June said they were considering new measures.
“We are definitely looking at tightening security,” Yogesh Mehta, project manager at IME Entertainment Group, said.
“All our events are licensed by the police. It is normally advised by the licensing department on what precautions to take, how many armed guards we need. So we work closely with them.”
Singapore, which hosts a security summit between June 2-4 bringing together Asia-Pacific defense and military chiefs, made amendments to the Public Order Act last month.
It requires event organizers to notify the police a month beforehand if they expect more than 5,000 people to attend. And police may refuse to allow a public gathering if it has a direct political end or involves foreigners.
Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld Expo, where Ariana Grande is due to hold a concert in September, said it would enhance security measures for all concerts and events. Besides baggage inspection, there will be metal detectors, it said in a statement, adding it was also planning to introduce search dogs for any suspicious items.
Hong Kong is already on high alert ahead of an expected visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to mark the 20th anniversary of the city’s handover to Beijing on July 1 when the former British colony’s new leader will also be sworn in.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia’s biggest sports arena, said it was reviewing procedures. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the government was working closely with other countries on strategy.
“While the threat level in Victoria remains unchanged, and there is no known threat to the MCG, we continue to receive advice from relevant authorities and together review our security processes accordingly,” the club’s spokesman said, referring to the state of which Melbourne is the capital.
SM investments Corp, whose Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippine capital will host Ariana Grande in August, said it would take all precautions.
“Our security is always stepped up especially for big crowds like this,” said SM investment relations chief Corazon Guidote.
Manchester concert suicide attack prompts security rethinks worldwide
Manchester concert suicide attack prompts security rethinks worldwide
171 bodies found in mass graves in eastern Congo, an official says
- Authorities found two mass graves with at least 171 dead bodies in the Kiromoni and Kavimvira
- M23’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment
KINSHASA: Congolese authorities and a civil society group said Thursday that mass graves were found in part of eastern Congo that the M23 rebel group has recently withdrawn from, as fighting in the region escalates despite a US-mediated peace deal.
The governor of South-Kivu province, Jacques Purusi, said authorities found two mass graves with at least 171 dead bodies in the Kiromoni and Kavimvira neighborhoods on the outskirts of the eastern city of Uvira.
“At this stage, we have identified two sites: one mass grave containing approximately 30 bodies in Kiromoni, not far from the Burundian border on the Congolese side, and another in Kavimvira where 141 bodies were found,” Purusi told The Associated Press over the phone.
The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim. M23’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Executive Secretariat of the Local Network for the Protection of Civilians, a civil society group in the region, said Thursday it wanted to visit the mass graves but was prevented from doing so by the Congolese military.
Information gathered so far indicates that the victims were killed by M23 rebels, said Yves Ramadhani, the group’s vice president.
The governor and the civil society group alleged that the rebels killed the individuals because they suspected them of belonging to the Congolese army or a pro-government militia.
Both the Congolese military and M23 have been accused of extrajudicial killings and abuses by rights groups.
