But the gesture will be overshadowed by draconian security measures that are turning the city-state into a fortress.

Although authorities are hoping to use the meeting as a showcase to promote Singapore as a tourist-friendly destination and business centre, visitors may come away with the impression of a well-functioning police state.

The government promises to enforce strictly a law banning outdoor demonstrations, defined as a gathering of five or more people without official permission, introduced after race riots in 1964.

International economic meetings, such as those for the IMF/World Bank and the World Trade Organisation, have become magnets for protests against globalisation that have often erupted into violence. Recent IMF/World Bank meetings in Washington have attracted fewer protesters but Singapore still wants to be sure that nothing of the sort will happen during this event.

More than 10,000 police and soldiers, including tough Nepalese Gurkha troops, are being mobilised. Surveillance cameras and military helicopters will keep watch on roads and monitor crowds. People will be subject to random security checks of their belongings.

“We will not entertain any notion of allowing groups of people to gather and form into larger and larger groups,” said Aubeck Kam, the senior police officer leading the security operations. He added that the police were ready to fire on violent protesters.

Border controls will be strict. The authorities have compiled lists of “troublemakers” , such as South Korean farmers’ groups that disrupted the WTO meeting in Hong Kong last December, to stop potential protesters from entering the island nation. Parts of the city centre around the Suntec convention hall, the conference site, will be closed to traffic. Workers in nearby office towers, including those from Citigroup and UBS, will be forced to work from home because of the stringent security.

The measures, however, have raised questions about whether Singapore is violating the spirit, if not the letter, of its agreement with the IMF/World Bank to allow approved “civil society organisations” to participate in the deliberations.

A record 400 CSOs have registered with the IMF/World Bank for the event. But they will only be allowed to crowd into the Suntec lobby, smaller than a football field, to hold discussions with delegates.

Singapore says the tough security is necessary, citing the threat of terrorist attacks that have shaken south-east Asia. It claims terrorists could use public protests as cover to carry out attacks or distract the police. But officials admit they have no intelligence to suggest a specific terrorist threat.

The protest ban is also being enforced for domestic reasons. Goh Chok Tong, head of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and a former prime minister, said allowing foreign groups, but not local ones, to demonstrate would cause political problems for the government.

Some non-governmental organisations have accused the IMF/World Bank of deliberately selecting Singapore as the conference venue because of its authoritarian reputation. The last IMF/World Bank meeting held outside the US, in 2003, was located in Dubai, which attracted few protesters.

Critics say the IMF/World Bank’s recent preference for remote or authoritarian countries reflects badly on efforts by the organisations to promote an image of transparency.

Peter Stephens, a World Bank representative in Singapore, said such allegations were “bizarre”, adding that Singapore has been the only country to submit a formal bid to host the event. “Why would we devote a great deal of time and energy to engage CSOs and then try to prevent them from coming to Singapore?” he said. The World Bank has been trying to persuade Singapore to relax rules on outdoor demonstrations but so far without success.

Some NGOs are planning protests on the neighbouring Indonesian island of Batam in response to the security crackdown in Singapore. But the police in Batam said they would ban any rallies involving foreigners, as stipulated under Indonesian law.

Additional reporting by Anna Fifield in Seoul and Alan Beattie in London

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