Security check when leaving the plane

[Kyo]

BKK is one of the main departure points of drugs from the Golden Triangle.
MNL is a major transit point as well for drugs.

http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/nrcrp...tml/100780.htm

Fine, ex-BKK yes, but EX-BKK to SIN onwards, doubtful.

Again, does it warrant a second, then a third check by the time whoever's doing this transits at Changi? Once at Bangkok. Second off the plane at Changi. Third to get on the plane at Changi...

They'd have to want a death sentence to be doing that...

No idea about MNL.

Jakarta has had terror bombings etc recently, fine - sure... but I'd think BKK's mainly kept its protesting etc on home soil. Not sure what they'd accomplish outside... MNL, have to admit it's not a strong point but don't hear much in terms of drugs/bombing, only uprisings in the far South...

[MAN Flyer]

They'd have to want a death sentence to be doing that...

Which has happened before with someone transitting Changi with drugs, no ?.

but I'd think BKK's mainly kept its protesting etc on home soil. Not sure what they'd accomplish outside...

I can't imagine it's the protestors they are worried about, it's those down south. And to think that it will always stay there is an extremely charitable way of looking at it, and I would venture to suggest with the greatest respect, a little naive. Predicting what these religious nutcases will do next is far from easy. (What do you mean two planes have hit the World Trade Centre ?). It's sadly also a corrupt country in places so people will allow people to do things in exchange for some cash.

The fact is there are people inside the country running around shooting folk and blowing things up, and that constitutes a risk. In addition to the drugs issue.

MNL, have to admit it's not a strong point but don't hear much in terms of drugs/bombing, only uprisings in the far South...

Are you serious ?. When was the last time you were in Manila ?. I sometimes feel out of place when I go there as I don't have pump action shotgun.

There is also a long history of bombings and shootings in Manila over the years, including hotels getting shot up. The first time I went there they had just raided the control tower at the airport and shot all the windows out. I was sat in the SKL at T2 watching it live on CNN as Final Call was flashing for my flight.

You need to travel a bit more fella, it broadens the mind.

[Kyo]

Are you serious ?. When was the last time you were in Manila ?. I sometimes feel out of place when I go there as I don't have pump action shotgun.

There is also a long history of bombings and shootings in Manila over the years, including hotels getting shot up. The first time I went there they had just raided the control tower at the airport and shot all the windows out. I was sat in the SKL at T2 watching it live on CNN as Final Call was flashing for my flight.

Haha! MNL = Never. Never stepped foot in the Philippines and after your very frank assessment, probably wont' be doing that anytime soon...

Always nice hearing other people's opinions... my Southern Thailand theory defers quite a fair bit from yours, but to go into here would be dragging this thread far off-topic. We should have a chinwag session sometime... perhaps LD#4!

[9V-JKL]

MNL, have to admit it's not a strong point but don't hear much in terms of drugs/bombing, only uprisings in the far South...

When I was last there in 2000, there was a gunfight in right in Makati in the middle of the night, hotel security was firing away and some guy was dodging the bullets running between parked vehicles.

Well you heard it now. Real life experience

[Kyo]

We need Sir Jjpb3 to organise a MNL DO. With arms, of course...

[MAN Flyer]

Manila is a great place. Yes it's a little hectic/manic and you need to keep your wits about you (like everywhere these days) but the people are tremendous.

And they still have an F cabin to MNL, for now..

[jjpb3]

Coup attempts in Manila are mostly theater. The factions have no interest in harming foreigners. But they do have an interest in having an audience, hence the highly visible encounters.

The secessionist movement down south (quite further down south, by the way) is much more problematic, but I doubt they want to disperse their effort by exporting their mayhem to, say, Singapore. It's the foreign trainers and drug runners who travel through MNL who might be the concern.

This is where MNL's comical screening comes into play. My friends tell me the screening tightens when there's an inspection by US authorities for the purpose of certifying MNL's security procedures, and then revert back to the more casual approach afterwards. I can see why Changi authorities don't have much faith in the screening done at MNL.


Kyo: a Pinoy Do has a much higher chance of getting organized where there's a real beach nearby.

[jammed]

does it warrant a second, then a third check by the time whoever's doing this transits at Changi? Once at Bangkok. Second off the plane at Changi. Third to get on the plane at Changi...

Kyo
you do know we are talking abt Singapore Govt and security, the local colloquialism best summarised it - kiasu, kiasi (and some say the head honcho also kia-bo )

agree with MAN, dont think concern with BKK is protestors - red, yellow or blue.

MNL is a very interesting juxtedposition - my boss related how the entire airport shook one time when she was there when bomb(s) went off at the runway in 2003 (or ard then). Then I flew into MNL week immediately after failed coup in Dec 2007 (think its Peninsula Hotel or something) - the place was so relaxed and pple so friendly, even making jokes abt the coup, that you wld never have guessed there were tanks and gun-fire.

if i'm not wrong, the security clearing in Changi is a decentralised one - there are actually technical terms for these but i cant remember, anyone into airport management or security can help out here. Most conventional airports have a centralised security clearing station immediately after or before passport control. Apart from long queues (think LHR), there is larger risk of too big a sterile area for offending items to be introduced, esp by rogue workers. Changi's approach is to have only selective security clearance at passport control (if i'm not wrong, only US-bound and maybe UK or OZ for heightened security) and then allow visitors and transit pax to wonder freely. The final security clearance at the gate ensure that no offending item could be added to the plane at the very last possibility. The downside is $$$ - lots of x-ray machinese and manpower to deploy.

[boing]

Corrections from a trusted source:

1. The procedures are based on historical data about which airports had been 'problematic' in the past, rather than on real-time tips

That's what I heard as well ! Only flights from certain destinations are chosen as the security from these airports are questionable. I do remember that non-lethal weapon armed skymarshals from the SPF boarded certain flights on a regular basis. Don't know whether this still continues.

[MAN Flyer]

Another inbound check for us on arrival from DPS last week.

[BigTop]

So, Singapore authorties do not trust Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian and Philippine security. Very neighbourly !!! And this is directed against keeping items out of Singapore - as all transfer pax would be screened again.

My recent MH flights from KUL and KCH have never been through that; instead an SQ flight from SGN did.

[N751PR]

Experienced a check on arrival myself after coming out of a QZ flight from DPS a couple weeks ago.

[wsssaero]

Which has happened before with someone transitting Changi with drugs, no ?.

If I remember correctly possession of drugs in Singapore will land you in trouble, transit or not.

[sqdazz]

had a check ex-bkk recently where some random guy was extremely agressive with the security staff who were supervising the large queue area, saying why do we need this blah blah, he was carrying on for a good 3 or 4 mins before myself and about 5 others said, mate, shut the hell up!!! and he finally did! But then as he went through the x-ray he threw his briefcase on the table and everything else he had he was throwing into the trays etc. What the?? Some people are just not meant to travel...

[MAN Flyer]

If I remember correctly possession of drugs in Singapore will land you in trouble, transit or not.

I think that is a bit of an understatement...