SINGAPORE, March 29 — With the closure of the queue for the lying in state at the Parliament House at 8pm, another operation kickstarted — that of tearing down the hundreds of tents and thousands of barricades that have been essential in managing the massive crowds over the past four days.

The dismantling of the tents and barricades at the Padang that were set up to accommodate  those who came to pay respects to Lee Kuan Yew at Parliament House are expected to be completed in six to seven hours, said Lieutenant-Colonel Yew Thiam Poh, commanding officer of 5SIR.

Close to 1,000 servicemen from two battalions have been mobilised for the operations.

“A lot of the soldiers are looking forward to contribute to this event, and feel honoured to be activated,” he said, adding that the soldiers were told to report back to camp this afternoon.

He said one battalion will be in charge of tearing down the tents and another to clear barricades.

More than 2,000 barricades will be shifted away from the Padang, about 360 tents dismantled, so that the field can be used as the deployment site for the four ceremonial 25-pounder howitzers. 

Soldiers will also ensure cleanliness of Padang before they complete and stand down at 6am tomorrow morning, and snacks will be provided for them throughout the night.

In a Facebook post, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said more than 5,000 SAF officers and men were deployed over the past four days — to serve as vigil guards, build tents, provide logistics and security and perform other tasks.

“Am so proud of my SAF men and women, for the high morale, deep sense of responsibility and mission that they showed despite many days without adequate sleep”, he said.

“They remained cheerful and undertook every task assigned to the best of their abilities.

“My admiration also goes to our colleagues in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Singapore Police Force for working hand in hand and being so responsive,” Dr Ng said.

Some volunteers and cleaners also begun picking litter off the Padang.

Nora Neo, 61, led a team of about 20 volunteers to collect the trash left behind, as well as to give out water and buy food for those in the queue. — TODAY