SINGAPORE – Hundreds of thousands of people attended the New Year’s Eve festivities at the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2023, with social media providing receipts as to the size of the crowds.
On Monday (Jan 2), Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam noted in a Facebook post that preventing crowd surges during festive periods and public events is a topic he had brought up in Parliament in November.
One Tiktoker had observed that after the fireworks at Marina Bay, the scene was like a “zombie apocalypse,” although he praised the police for “effective crowd control measures.”
https://www.tiktok.com/@carl78794/video/7183375991396502810?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7173200040750482945
On the Instagram account @sgfollowsall, video clips also showed crowds of people walking closely one after another, often pressed against each other.
View this post on Instagram
Fortunately, there were no untoward incidents, and authorities providing crowd control appeared to be on the ball, with the police closing access to several areas because so many people had gathered.
Due to large crowds at the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2023, the Police have closed access to the following areas:
1. Fullerton Waterfront (including Merlion Park)
2. Jubilee Bridge
3. Marina Bay Sands Waterfront
4. Esplanade Waterfront
5. Mist Walk
6. The Promontory pic.twitter.com/hc73qrL2ar— Singapore Police Force (@SingaporePolice) December 31, 2022
The Aljunied GRC MP had asked the Minister for Home Affairs “whether the Ministry has identified a list of locations or events in Singapore at risk of crowd surge and stampede situations and what are the enhanced safety steps that organisers are required to put in place.”
Additionally, Mr Giam asked if the Police “proactively inform the public of crowd surge risks and ways to stay safe when participating in large public events.”
Along with other MPs, he had posed questions in Parliament regarding safety measures during crowded public events shortly after 156 people were killed in South Korea in Halloween celebrations that turned into a deadly stampede.
“The Minister’s answers were relevant for the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2023 two days ago, where there were large crowds in confined areas,” wrote Mr Giam.
In his blog post, he added, “Minister of State (MOS) for Home Affairs Sun Xueling answered these questions on 28 Nov 2022. She said that SPF works with relevant stakeholders to put in place measures to mitigate the risks associated with large crowds and put in place crowd management plans for major events such as New Year countdowns. Contingency plans are also in place.
Her full reply can be found on the Parliament Hansard.” /TISG