Travelling experiences with armed soldiers and guards

[jrfsp]

While staying in sharm el shiek, did a day tour up to st Catherine’s monastery in the middle of the Sinai peninsula (most others on the bus were Russian)
On leaving the sharm enclave checkpoint, the army soldiers, had to be persuaded to let us through (they wernt concerned about the Russians), as the bus driver later told me they said “he’s Arab, definitely not Russian”.
Lots of armed soldiers and sniper points around st Catherine’s monastery

 

[Happy Dude]

These were the guys in Lille

View attachment 308469

Those must be damn good donuts to warrant that sort of protection.

 

[Quickstatus]

Was there ever a reckoning for MH128 MEL-MEL (originally MEL-KUL) in 2017 as to why the armed federal police took 90min to enter the aircraft?

 

[dairyfloss]

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

Oh yes - this was my first ever brush with (sighting of!) proper assault hardware.

SIN was only my second o/s destination, after starting to travel for work about 20 odd years ago. I'd only ever flown domestically a few times for leisure before that, and had one visit to NZ for work. I was very nervous as I came through the doors at 'Nothing to Declare' and a group of these boys in fatigues with fingers by the triggers happened to be there watching me. Think nothing of it these days, with 60+ visits to SIN since, along with many to IN, MY, TH & PH, where it's all been much the same at times.

Cheers,
Matt.

 

[Cossie]

Early 1981, Gulu in Uganda to Nimule on the then Sudan/Ugandan border. We had hitched from Kenya heading up to Juba to get the boat down stream.
Mercedes short bonnet truck, driver own seat, my then girlfriend, myself and a rather large Tanzanian soldier against the window armed with what appeared to be a grenade launcher, several more of his mates on top of the cargo and in the trucks behind.
From memory not dissimilar to this.

RPG-7 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

This was after Idi had been kicked out and a peace keeping force was in place.

Given me the incentive to go through and scan old photos! First the truck, view of truck in front with weird thing on the window and same truck further down the road. No photos of soldiers.

 

[Mattg]

I've seen armed guards etc. in various places around the world on my travels, including at hotels in Manila and around Paris.

One experience from a few years ago that stands out was a transit through Saudi Arabia. I was flying on Lufthansa FRA-RUH-BAH, which was the same flight number/aircraft all the way through. Before landing in Riyadh, a flight attendant made an announcement reminding everyone that alcohol and images depicting nudity are strictly prohibited in Saudi Arabia. Passengers continuing to Bahrain were asked to remain on board during the transit and advised not to have any alcohol in their possession as there would be a customs check by the Saudi authorities in Riyadh. Sure enough, an armed Saudi official got on board and did a lap of the plane with the purser during the transit, making sure everything was in order (which thankfully it was).

 

[jastel]

Remember being in St Petersburg...a few years back when tourists were welcome...a day or two before the big Victory Day Parade and seeing large tanks and missile launchers etc from the canal tour we were doing parked along the banks of the river. They were having a rehearsal at 2am or something...the soldiers had AK47s but were just waiting around smoking and waving and smiling at us.

I had planned to get up and watch the rehearsal but fell asleep instead...

Red Square in Moscow was also getting decorated and looked a bit different.

 

[OATEK]

Remember being in St Petersburg...a few years back when tourists were welcome...a day or two before the big Victory Day Parade and seeing large tanks and missile launchers etc from the canal tour we were doing parked along the banks of the river. They were having a rehearsal at 2am or something...the soldiers had AK47s but were just waiting around smoking and waving and smiling at us.

I had planned to get up and watch the rehearsal but fell asleep instead...

Red Square in Moscow was also getting decorated and looked a bit different.

We arrived in St Petersburg just a couple of days after the metro bombing in April 2017. We were travelling with a guide in a Mercedes people carrier, stopping in all the usual places and were never troubled. However, the Police and FSB would suddenly appear and set up a roadblock, and search a few vehicles, and then just as quickly disappear. The only real evidence of the terrorist attack was the flowers outside Sennaya Ploschad station. The guide chided the driver for taking us past the station.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

In the Maldives we were transferring from a surf charter boat to a land based resort for the second half of our trip. While waiting for the resort speedboat a very impressive tender turned up from an even more impressive superyacht parked offshore. The bald british bloke that got off approached my dad who was wearing a rugby shirt of some description and got chatting about rugby. After breaking the ice we asked what they were doing ashore... Found out the boat was Pelorus (at that stage owned by an Emirati Sheikh) and was being chartered by an unnamed celebrity. The reason for their brief shore visit in Male was pretty simple, pick up a huge cache of weapons to head east from the Maldives towards Africa and the Gulf of Aden. Turns out the british guy was ex-SAS and the boats head of security...

 

[trooper]

I've seen armed guards etc. in various places around the world on my travels, including at hotels in Manila and around Paris.

.

The guards around the hotel area we stayed at on arrival in MNL (another major pistol competition...lol) were carrying shotguns that LOOKED flash from a distance..but close up looked very poorly cared for. And UNLOADED. lol The Hotels have scanners at the entrances (or did) so to avoid drama I had arranged in advance with the Security head to have our pistols stored in the Hotel "Safe". Turned out to be a thin metal cabinet under a desk - fortunately in an area NOT routinely accessible to guests, and manned 24 hours...

 

[infrequent_jim]

I flew Melbourne to Adelaide early on in the pandemic, and I'm pretty sure there were conspicuously armed guards (can't remember if there were army or police) with long guns in the terminal in Melbs.

 

[ramboflyer]

We stayed near the Champs-Elysees in Paris a couple of doors from the Israeli Embassy where soldiers were patrolling with machine guns. A bit disconcerting walking past but our wives seemed to enjoy looking at the soldiers from our 2nd floor window!

 

[John in Melbourne]

On the 11th of September 2001, I was in London at the end of a month's holiday there. Hungry and thirsty from walking around, I went into an inner city pub. I was surprised to see everyone there watching what I assumed to be a science fiction movie on a big TV. I quickly discovered it wasn't. When text running across the bottom of the screen said that highrise buildings in the City were being evacuated, I decided I should hightail it back to East Finchley and the safety (I hoped) of the suburbs. However, I was due to fly QF LHR - MEL the next day. I assumed the flight would be cancelled. But it wasn't. When I got to Heathrow, the atmosphere was tense and heavily-armed soldiers were everywhere. By this stage I was feeling quite anxious. Once in the plane, I could see armored military vehicles outside. I wasn't sure what types but, to me, one looked like a small tank. Takeoff went smoothly, but I must say, it took me a couple of hours before I could relax.

 

[drron]

That reminds me in October 2001 we were in San Francisco. Crossed the Golden gate and Bay bridges with a Humvee full of marines accompanying us.
As well cancelled previous bookings and rebooked our hire car for $US7. And that was for a week. Also New York,New York hotel in Vegas for $US25 a night.

 

[Franky]

A couple come to mind. 1996 visit to Israel, after conference finished we decided to visit Masala and Galilee. Hired a car and as we descended to the plains, remembered we had little cash, and Jericho was in sight to the left. We had forgotten that the whole of that side of the mountains was in Palestinian hands. Pulled up to the only bank in town, the Police Station was next door. It was heavily sandbagged, with half a dozen cops with helmets and rifles watching our every move. Same trip, this time Turkey and visited Scutare where the Florence Nightingale museum is located inside the headquarters of the Turkish 7th Army. As we came around the corner of the fort to the main gate - same story, many sandbags and soldiers with rifles pointing our way. We were ordered to proceed slowly towards them with passports in hand. All good and a great museum to boot.

 

[kelvedon]

In the mid 80’s on a flight between Samarkand and Dushanbe on a rickety Aeroflot An-24 ( like a Fokker F27), the coughpit door flung open to reveal the two pilots with holstered pistols round their waists

 

[camperdown9]

I grew up in Belfast in the 1970's and 80's. The police were armed and it wasn't unusual to see the army with automatic weapons on the streets. Or hanging out of the back of a Land Rover. I guess because grew up in that sort of environment it didn't bother me. However I remember being in London with an English friend who was actually scared when he first saw armed police and soldiers at LHR.

In Paris at Gare de Lyon and Gare du Nord there are often young armed soldiers walking through the stations.

Alex

 

[MELso]

I grew up in Belfast in the 1970's and 80's. The police were armed and it wasn't unusual to see the army with automatic weapons on the streets. Or hanging out of the back of a Land Rover. I guess because grew up in that sort of environment it didn't bother me. However I remember being in London with an English friend who was actually scared when he first saw armed police and soldiers at LHR...

One of the most vivid memories of my first OS trip aged 10 was passing tanks out the front of LHR in early 1986 at the height of the Troubles before boarding a TWA flight to BOS.

 

[OATEK]

One of the most vivid memories of my first OS trip aged 10 was passing tanks out the front of LHR in early 1986 at the height of the Troubles before boarding a TWA flight to BOS.

That reminded me of our visit to the UK in 1987. The day of the Enniskillen remembrance day bombing we we heading out to visit Hampton Court Palace. There were armed soldiers, armoured vehicles and we were all searched very carefully - but no tanks.

 

[jasetheace]

France