Travelling experiences with armed soldiers and guards

[Forg]

The drug sniffer dog in HBA on Friday looked like maybe it might very aggressively hit you with a wagged tail if it was allowed to … ?

 

[RooFlyer]

The drug sniffer dog in HBA on Friday looked like maybe it might very aggressively hit you with a wagged tail if it was allowed to … ?

Ah, but what you don't know is that 1 wag means ice, 2 means grass, two with tongue out means you are a Collingwood supporter ... and so on.

 

[jase05]

Our boat from Catilclan port to Boracay had an armed guard present a couple of years back.
A few days earlier on the same trip we flew into MNL and weren’t allowed to disembark for about half hour and we could see armed guards and security everywhere. Turns out Trump had arrived on Air Force One moments earlier.

 

[tdimdad]

Memo to self. Don't travel with drron.

I'd love to! Seems that they pull through safely enough to come back home in one piece - and a hundred memories richer.

 

[RooFlyer]

You'll see from my TR that I'm in Egypt, doing a tour including a cruise on the Nile for 3 days. There's a group of Americans on board travelling with an armed guard (gun evident) because of the 'security risk' to them. .

That aside, there are sub-machine gun armed police & military at every road checkpoint, at every security point within airports, gates to attractions, within attractions etc etc.

 

[Scarlett]

Does it count if you’re carrying your own rifle whilst boarding?

 

[dajop]

A couple of times a week in SIN I will see groups of about 4 heavily armed (sub-machine guns) officers patrolling … at shopping centres, MRT stations, generally along certain outdoor areas etc. Maybe they’re following me around Many of you who visit or transit Singapore may have also seen them - regular site at the airport.

But overall far less threatening to a law abiding person than in most situations people are mentioning, where the “laws” are probably much more ambiguous.

Dark shades, beige berets, submachine guns: The police counterterrorism unit made up mostly of NSFs

SINGAPORE: On Dec 29, 2019, Inspector (INSP) Herman Mohamed Sidek was on a regular patrol with three other police officers – all full-time national servicemen (NSF) – near Paragon shopping centre when he heard a loud bang in the direction of Lucky Plaza nearby. “We thought that something ex

www.channelnewsasia.com

 

[RooFlyer]

By way of contrast, when @JohnM and I toured Iran a few years ago, the only time we saw guns was 1) Outside the Reserve Bank where the National Treasure was housed, and 2) On the towers around the Ayatollah's compound, both in Tehran.

I guess there may be a few more these days.

 

[drron]

The drug sniffer dog in HBA on Friday looked like maybe it might very aggressively hit you with a wagged tail if it was allowed to … ?

Probably was wagging it's tail vigorously to keep warm. A couple of days of snow in the last week.

 

[Pushka]

Back in 1985, so over 35 years ago, in Sri Lanka in the midst of their Civil war. Soldiers ruled the streets. To get into shopping malls and banks you were searched and questioned by the military because these were targets of the Tamil Tigers.

 

[drron]

A couple of times a week in SIN I will see groups of about 4 heavily armed (sub-machine guns) officers patrolling … at shopping centres, MRT stations, generally along certain outdoor areas etc. Maybe they’re following me around Many of you who visit or transit Singapore may have also seen them - regular site at the airport.

But overall far less threatening to a law abiding person than in most situations people are mentioning, where the “laws” are probably much more ambiguous.

Dark shades, beige berets, submachine guns: The police counterterrorism unit made up mostly of NSFs

SINGAPORE: On Dec 29, 2019, Inspector (INSP) Herman Mohamed Sidek was on a regular patrol with three other police officers – all full-time national servicemen (NSF) – near Paragon shopping centre when he heard a loud bang in the direction of Lucky Plaza nearby. “We thought that something ex

www.channelnewsasia.com

Way back in the early 70s we went to Singapore and Hong Kong with a friend from Medical school. He was Australian born but Chinese. his parents had moved to Australia during WW2 just before the Japanese arrived in Hong Kong.
We hired a car in Singapore and drove up to the causeway. It was the first time we had seen drug dogs in action. My friend got out of the driver's seat and I got out the other side. I was partly obscured to the soldiers using the dogs, We both got our cameras out and the soldiers came at my friend with guns raised. When I stepped out into full view the guns were lowered.

A bit later at Singapore General Hospital which in those days was a chaotic place. He was not allowed to take photos but I was.

 

[eric2011]

Alot closer to home, Noumea 2017

 

[Pushka]

You'll see from my TR that I'm in Egypt, doing a tour including a cruise on the Nile for 3 days. There's a group of Americans on board travelling with an armed guard (gun evident) because of the 'security risk' to them. .

That aside, there are sub-machine gun armed police & military at every road checkpoint, at every security point within airports, gates to attractions, within attractions etc etc.

Apparently there is a Govt agreement in place.

 

[JohnM]

I unpacked my own folding-stock AK47 in Ethiopia to tame the punks in my tour group...



I forgot the duct tape to fasten another magazine front-to-back to double the firepower.

The look on our tour guide's face when he walked out of the hotel and saw me was priceless.

 

[JohnM]

By way of contrast, when @JohnM and I toured Iran a few years ago, the only time we saw guns was 1) Outside the Reserve Bank where the National Treasure was housed, and 2) On the towers around the Ayatollah's compound, both in Tehran.

I guess there may be a few more these days.

When I did my Intrepid trip in Egypt we had some Americans in the group. We were told because of that we had to have an armed guard with us - at least for our drive from Cairo to Alexandria, around Alexandria, and back.

There was a very thick-set silently vigilant gent in dark glasses and a plain dark suit (bulging slightly from the machine pistol) in the bus and the bus was shadowed by some tourist police in a 4WD.

It was not the case elsewhere like Aswan or Luxor - but our guide had to report our whereabouts at all times to the tourist police located at our hotel.

 

[stump]

I unpacked my own folding-stock AK47 in Ethiopia to tame the punks in my tour group...

View attachment 308441

I forgot the duct tape to fasten another magazine front-to-back to double the firepower.

The look on our tour guide's face when he walked out of the hotel and saw me was priceless.

I dont leave home without one....

 

[trooper]

Transiting HKG on the way home from my sports World Championships in France... had made all the arrangements for my pistols to be "held" by Customs during the long layover ...(required as it was more than 2 hours) Was met on arrival, escorted to Customs, (where my suitcase arrived at the same time as I did!) .... pistols checked...receipt given...

Headed off to go to the hotel for the day... On the way I decided to ditch my suitcase at the Baggage Storage place... they ran it through a scanner..and the cough hit the fan...lol All the pistol MAGAZINES were in there. Police were called etc. Now in MOST places mags are seen as.. well.... a metal tube with a spring in it. In HKG they are, as I found out THEN, essentially treated AS Firearms. (Whoops)

Much toing and froing and summoning of more and more senior people... who of course then had to be briefed in... took hours. Noone was interested in MY suggestion that if these magazines were a problem, maybe we should go back to the Customs office and have them "held" too??
Eventually a guy (presumably) from the handling company QANTAS uses in HKG arrived. He seemed to "lay down the law" in no uncertain terms (all the discussions were of course in Chinese) ... and turned to me and said..."Follow me"..so off we went... Him...me, and three cops carrying MP5's.... By THAT point I knew all was well..and started to enjoy myself.. The looks on other travellers in the airport, watching our little "parade" were priceless... and the thoughts were quite transparent.. "How MUCH trouble is HE in"... Where did we go? Yep..the Customs Office. Magazines checked, receipt issued. I got 2 hours in my Day room.... oh well.

P.S. AT the World championships, and in the nearby town of Chateauroux, there were groups of French soldiers just as VPS described. At the match itself they were from the Legion Etrangere which added a bit of interest.... and - somewhat surprisingly they had a Legion Recruiting post set up! Perhaps they thought someone might rank so poorly in the comp that they were too embarrassed to return home?

 

[jastel]

Was driving back home from a mates farm, we had been shooting stuff all week.
There was a Police roadblock ahead stopping every car and inspecting them, think they were looking for murderer or something who had stolen a car.
Get to the front of the line and "Anything in the boot?", "Just the usual...bags and a few rifles" I said. Young Constable coughs herself and yells "GUN!!"
About 8 cops run over, they all have hands on their pistols but didnt draw them. Whilst some watched me other cops opened the boot saw my bags and rifles, stored where they are supposed to be...and definitely no room for a murderer to hide in there. Sergeant checks my shooters license and then asks how many pigs I got, where were they etc etc, not in a detective way but as in where were they so I can go get some too way.
He sends me on my way and says "Well at least you woke us all up and thanks for the tips!"

 

[drron]

Was driving back home from a mates farm, we had been shooting stuff all week.
There was a Police roadblock ahead stopping every car and inspecting them, think they were looking for murderer or something who had stolen a car.
Get to the front of the line and "Anything in the boot?", "Just the usual...bags and a few rifles" I said. Young Constable coughs herself and yells "GUN!!"
About 8 cops run over, they all have hands on their pistols but didnt draw them. Whilst some watched me other cops opened the boot saw my bags and rifles, stored where they are supposed to be...and definitely no room for a murderer to hide in there. Sergeant checks my shooters license and then asks how many pigs I got, where were they etc etc, not in a detective way but as in where were they so I can go get some too way.
He sends me on my way and says "Well at least you woke us all up and thanks for the tips!"

That reminds me of a mad barrister we once knew. Sat across the table from him at a ball and watched him eat all the camellias on the table.
Not surprisingly his wife left him. He got very drunk and got in his car and drove off. Got stopped by police who asked him where he was going. Answered- "off to shoot my wife". They opened the boot of his car and found a shotgun.
But this was a rural area and all he got done for was DUI. Must be good to have contacts.

 

[VPS]

These were the guys in Lille