I live in the city centre. I hear them all the time. Night and day.

I thought I’ve heard it all. Not quite. Last week, the sounds and frequency of sirens went up many notches. They intruded my airspace as if they were on a timer. I did not clock them but they screamed regularly.

Quiet for a bit and then back again. The parade of police vehicles comprising cars and motorbikes accompanied by their louds wails and yelps. Traversing routes, particularly in and around the city centre, demanding the attention of road-users, and me.  

On several occasions and at different stretches of roads, I saw how urgently/expertly traffic was brought to a standstill. It was clear messaging. Stop when directed. Go when instructed. There was a backlog of traffic. It then cleared. Back to normal. Another segment of the road came to an abrupt halt.  Same messaging. Stop. Go. There was traffic build-up. It cleared after a while. Back to normal. Repeat.

There were also phased traffic diversions and dispersal measures across several major roads in Kuala Lumpur, from 8am to 7pm as needed, over several days, closer to the weekend. This was to ensure the smooth and orderly movement of official delegations during the actual event.

‘Some 1,111 traffic police officers and personnel have been deployed, and will be responsible for traffic control, VIP escort duties and enforcement operations throughout the summit[1]. Hence, the audible presence.

As I write this, the sounds of sirens are continuing in high decibels. As is security, which has been amped up until after the 47^th Asean Summit and related meetings that are currently taking place in Kuala Lumpur from 26 to 28 October, 2025.

‘A massive 10,170-strong police force has been deployed to ensure the smooth running and safety of the summit… The deployment covers a wide range of departments and tactical units, including the Special Branch, Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department (TEID), Special Action Unit (UTK), 69 Commandos, Federal Reserve Unit (FRU), General Operations Force (GOF), and Air Wing Unit[2].’

Security has been extended at all strategic venues such as the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), and official hotels (some 24 hotels around the capital) that are housing international delegates.

It must be a mammoth logistics responsibility particularly as the 47^th Asean Summit is a big deal coming-together of Asean heads of government, dialogue partners and invited guest nations including but not limited to the US, China, Brazil, Canada, South Korea, South Africa, and Japan.

And… its all happening, most of the important stuff, at KLCC, which is within walking distance from where my husband and I live. A little exciting. It was also where Ed Sheeran had his debut performance in Malaysia in 2015. We walked over to watch him perform. It was perfect as it was in a smaller hall and we could actually see him on stage. Yay.

Curious, I walked over to KLCC last Tuesday to check on the goings-on. Some paths were already off-limits. I walked over on Friday. The areas near the convention centre were totally cordoned off with heightened police presence.

Briefly, Malaysia is the 2025 Asean Chair, and this year’s theme is rather apt, ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability.’ This is interesting. The Chairmanship of Asean rotates annually based on the alphabetical order of the English names of member states. Next year, it’s the Philippines while last year was Lao PDR.

Also, Asean is now the fifth-largest economy in the world with a combined gross domestic product of US$3.8 trillion in 2023, and a population of over 700 million[3]. Ahead of the regional bloc are the ‘United States ($26.9 trillion), China (US$ 17.7 trillion), Germany (US$4.4 trillion) and Japan (US$ 4.2 trillion)[4].’

The Asean 11 comprise Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines, Lao PDR, and Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste became the 11^th and newest member of Asean on Sunday.

During the three-day summit, a team of 68 permanent chefs and 100 part-timers will prepare five meals daily for over 5,000 delegates. The menu includes local favourites like ‘rendang,’ ‘varuval,’ ‘char kway teow,’ ‘satay,’ and ‘teh tarik’😊.

Also interesting were/are some of the preparations and advisories for the general populace. For instance, some 70 schools are conducting online classes. Civil servants, working with a 25km radius of the city center, are working from home[5]. Companies/employers were/are encouraged to allow their staff to work remotely.

For motorists, if can, ride the MRT, LRT, Monorail, and bus services to get to work and around the city. If cannot, stay updated in real-time on apps like Waze and Google Maps. In summary, plan your journey, pack a lot of patience, and be ready for longer travel times.

It has been a very noisy, busy week and weekend that will probably continue for a while yet.