ASEAN 2025: KL City Centre In Lockdown for World Leaders

Kuala Lumpur will come to a near standstill next week as Malaysia hosts the 47th ASEAN Summit, which is expected to draw several global leaders including US President Donald Trump.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said police will be on maximum alert from 23 to 28 Oct, with around 16,000 officers deployed across the capital and nearby states to manage traffic and maintain security.

“The Kuala Lumpur City Centre will be on total lockdown, and the police will not compromise on safety,” he told reporters during a press conference.

Earlier, the Kuala Lumpur Command and Control Centre (KLC3) confirmed that several major roads and expressways will be closed in stages from 26 to 28 Oct, each lasting about 30 to 45 minutes to allow official motorcades to pass smoothly. Full details on these road closures are listed HERE. 

The summit officially begins on 26 Oct and will see an extensive list of world leaders attending. Among those confirmed are Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

Chinese Premier Xi Jinping is reportedly considering attendance, while confirmed regional leaders include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

Other ASEAN heads of government, including Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto, Singapore’s Lawrence Wong, Cambodia’s Hun Manet, Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing, Vietnam’s Pham Minh Chinh, Philippines’ Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Laos’ Sonexay Siphandone, and Timor-Leste’s José Alexandre Gusmão are also set to take part.

As part of the summit’s security measures, about 70 schools within the city will temporarily shift to online classes, while civil servants working within 25 KM of downtown Kuala Lumpur will work from home.

The gathering will also see Brazil and South Africa officially recognised as ASEAN’s new Sectoral Dialogue Partners, with Cyprus and Finland to join the bloc’s dialogue framework as well.

Source: NST