Gurkha soldiers to guard Trump-Kim summit in Singapore

KATHMANDU, June 6: The Trump-Kim summit will be guarded by men from Gurkha soldiers, men from Nepal, known for one of the fiercest warrior tribes in the world. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Um are scheduled to meet for their historic summit in Singapore later this month.

While both leaders will bring their own personal security teams, elite Singaporean police, including its Gurkha Contingent, will be securing the summit venue, roads and hotels, according to Reuters.

The Gurkhas, who have a low-profile presence in Singapore, were more visible than usual at the weekend as they secured the Shangri-La Hotel for a security conference that included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other regional ministers.

The Gurkhas, recruited by the Singapore police from hilly region of Nepal, were kitted out in body armor, Belgian-made FN SCAR combat assault rifles and pistols in leg holsters at the conference, in what some security experts believed was a dry run for the US-North Korea summit.

Despite all the advanced weaponry, the Gurkhas do not prepare for battle without the khukuri – the heavy curved knife that is their traditional weapon of choice. According to custom, the khukuri must draw blood every time it is unsheathed.

“They are among the best Singapore can offer, and I am sure they will be involved (in the summit),” said Tim Huxley, an expert on Singapore’s armed forces at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

“They remain very much a substantial and frontline force, and the demands of this kind of event are precisely the sort of special operation that the Gurkhas are trained to handle,” he said.

However the number of deployment of Gurkhas is not clear yet.

According to the IISS Military Balance, 1,800 Gurkhas serve in the Singapore police, across six paramilitary companies.

A legacy in part of the British colonial era and more recent pragmatic Singaporean leadership, Singapore’s Gurkhas are linked to a British tradition that has recruited and paid for elite regiments of soldiers from Nepal for more than 200 years.

Beaten back by the Gurkhas in the 19th century Anglo-Nepalese War and admired for their valor and fighting skills, the colonial British then began to recruit them. Now Gurkhas serve in the British, Indian and Nepalese armies, as well as in Brunei and Singapore.

They have fought in both world wars as well as the Falklands conflict and, more recently, in Afghanistan.

“TOUGH, VIGILANT AND STEADFAST”

Huxley said the Gurkhas had long proven to be an asset to Singapore’s leadership, providing a neutral force within an ethnically diverse city-state, including VIP and anti-riot protection.

At times of regional tension, they have protected international schools, and are often seen at the Malaysia-Singapore border crossings.

The Singapore Police website describes the group as “tough, vigilant and steadfast” that operates “across the spectrum of paramilitary operations to help safeguard Singapore”.

Typically recruited at 18 or 19 before being trained in Singapore, the Gurkha soldiers retire at 45 when they are repatriated. While their children attend local schools, Gurkhas are not allowed to marry local women.

A handful of ex-British Army officers serve as sworn-in Singapore police in senior leadership, training and organizational roles.

(Adopted from Reuters)