Lee, who recently won an Oscar for best director for Brokeback Mountain, arrived at Jalan Bandar Timah for a last-minute inspection at 11.45am yesterday.

He later joined the cast and crew in a customary prayer ceremony, where they sought blessings for smooth filming, before the cameras started rolling at around 1pm.

To avoid prying eyes, the crew had put up curtains around the set and had also parked lorries, vans and a tour bus at strategic spots.

Lee is expected to shoot his spy thriller in parts of the city until Saturday before filming continues in Penang on Sunday.

Besides Jalan Bandar Timah, filming will also be done at Jalan Panglima, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Jalan Chua Cheng Bok, Jalan Che Wan, Jalan Sultan Yusuf, Jalan Dato' Maharajalela and Jalan Pasar here.

(News extract from The Star dated 07 Sep 2006)