ST Explains: What are gazetted, protected areas, and which are you not allowed to enter?

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18-06-2025

SINGAPORE - A man was hospitalised after he suffered a gunshot wound to his lower back while cycling with his friends in a restricted area between the Upper Seletar and Upper Peirce reservoirs on June 15.
At the time of the incident, the man was about 2.3km away from a military range in Nee Soon, where an authorised live-firing activity was taking place.
Mindef said in a June 16 statement that under the Military Manoeuvres Act (MMA), 'unauthorised persons are not allowed to enter gazetted areas designated for SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) live firing in consideration of their own safety'.
Here is what you need to know about restricted areas in Singapore.
In Singapore, an area can be recognised, or gazetted, by the Government for purposes such as conservation, public safety and national security.
In the case of the cyclist who got hit, he had entered a restricted forest area specified by Mindef for firing practices or military manoeuvres.
Mindef has the authority to declare areas for such purposes under the MMA, said LIMN Law Corporation managing director John Lim, an expert in land law. The ministry may also declare that such areas are no longer used for such military purposes.
Other than military uses, areas may also be gazetted for the purposes of preserving the appearance of an area under the Planning Act, or tree conservation under the Parks and Trees Act, among others.
These would be published in the Government Gazette, an official public record that is available online.
Examples of such areas used by the military are the Jurong Troop Manoeuvring Ground, the Changi Troop Manoeuvring Ground and even Bedok Jetty, Mr Lim noted. Other areas also include firing grounds such as Pulau Tekong, Mandai Camp IV 25m Range and Nee Soon Ranges I and II, he added.
Such areas are comprehensively defined by both coordinates and distance in the Military Manoeuvres Proclamations.
There are two tree conservation areas – Central and Changi – which contain a particularly high density of mature trees. These areas are gazetted to prevent the unapproved felling of these trees, some of which are more than 100 years old, according to NParks.
There are also over 7,000 buildings, mostly shophouses and bungalows, gazetted for conservation. These include buildings in the four historic districts of Boat Quay, Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India, and some residential districts such as Cairnhill and Emerald Hill.
You may have seen bright red signs outside certain facilities, warning people that the areas are protected areas or places, and that people should not enter such areas unless they are allowed to.
According to the Singapore Police Force website, a protected area or protected place is a location 'where special measures are needed to control the movement and conduct of persons for public safety and security reasons'.
Protected areas, such as the land checkpoints, are generally accessible to the public, while people have restricted access to protected places, such as military camps and water treatment plants, according to the same website.
There is no one distinguishable factor between gazetted and protected areas or places, according to Mr Lim.
Locations can be designated protected areas or places under the Infrastructure Protection Act (IPA), he said, adding that those locations tend to be sensitive installations or infrastructures such as the ICA Services Centre.
Yes. It is possible that the same areas may be gazetted under both the MMA and the IPA.
An individual found to have unlawfully interfered with a military manoeuvre or entered a camp without authority faces a $2,000 fine or a six-month jail term.
Other examples of punishments include a $20,000 fine and two years' imprisonment under the IPA for anyone caught taking photos or videos of a protected area.
A person found to have damaged a tree with a girth of more than 1m in a tree conservation area faces a $50,000 fine under the Parks and Trees Act.
There are no known prosecutions under the MMA, said Mr Lim.
However, there have been a number of prosecutions under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act (PAPPA), which was repealed and partially incorporated under the IPA in 2018.
Notably, in 2010, Swiss national Oliver Fricker and his accomplice were sentenced to two months in prison for violating the PAPPA by breaking into SMRT's Changi depot.
The Mindef website publishes advisories on the locations and dates of SAF military exercises, where live-firing and demolition activities may be conducted.
The public should avoid areas where the SAF will be conducting military and live-firing exercises, Mindef says.
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction
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