Organisers of Shangri-La Dialogue to go ahead with June event in Singapore: Mindef
SINGAPORE — The organisers of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD), the International Institute for Strategic Studies, has informed the Singapore government that it remains committed to organising the annual event early next month, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said on Monday (17 May).
The event, which is traditionally held at the Shangri-La Hotel, is slated to take place from 4 to 5 June. It was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the years, the SLD has provided a "significant and necessary platform in Singapore" that allows top government officials and other participants from around the world to engage on key defence and security issues, Mindef said.
"We are encouraged by the positive response to invitations to SLD 2021, which underscore the strong commitment of government leaders in addressing security challenges even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic," Mindef added.
Nevertheless, the Singapore government will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and make the necessary adjustments, Mindef said. "In doing so, the health and safety of everyone will be the foremost consideration."
The announcement comes just hours after the World Economic Forum said it had called off its annual meeting in Singapore scheduled to be held in August.
Under Singapore's Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) COVID-19 safe management measures, up to 100 persons may be allowed at MICE events with pre-event testing (PET), and up to 50 persons may be allowed without PET.
The Ministry of Health noted on Monday that the number of new cases in Singapore's community has increased from 32 in the week before to 149 in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from seven in the week before to 42 in the past week.
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