S'pore steps up security checks

S'pore steps up security checks

SINGAPORE: The government said on Thursday security would be beefed up ahead of Sept. 11 in this wealthy Southeast Asian nation where more than a dozen men -- believed linked to al-Qaeda -- were arrested for allegedly plotting to blow up the U.S. Embassy and other targets late last year.

Singapore and the United States have close military relations. The country recently opened a new naval facility built specifically to accommodate U.S. aircraft carriers, and also is home to a U.S. Navy logistics unit.

Armed patrols at Singapore's Changi International airport by police and soldiers, which began last October, will be more frequent and more visible ahead of the Sept. 11 anniversary, said Soh.

Singapore will also perform more stringent immigration and security checks at ferry terminals and bridge entrances to this island nation, he said. The country lies between Indonesia and Malaysia. --AP