Mtg with Insert Name

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Mtg with Insert Name Report on Trade Mission to Singapore Mr Gary Fenlon MP Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations 4 - 7 September 2008 INDEX 1 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS PROGRAM ..............................................................................................................4 TRADE MISSION OBJECTIVES .............................................................................8 OFFICIAL DELEGATION MEMBERS .....................................................................9 BUSINESS DELEGATION MEMBERS....................................................................9 REPORT................................................................................................................10 MEETING WITH DR AMY KHOR, SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER RESOURCES..............11 URBAN DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP................................................................13 QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT URBAN DEVELOPMENT LUNCHEON.............14 JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY SINGAPORE CAMPUS GRADUATION CEREMONY ..........................................................................................................19 ALUMNI FUNCTION HOSTED BY JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY .........................23 MEETING WITH AEI INTERNATIONAL................................................................24 MEETING WITH DAS INTERNATIONAL ..............................................................25 MEDIA RELEASES ...............................................................................................26 SPEECHES ...........................................................................................................32 3 PROGRAM 4 PROGRAM Time Zones Time in bold indicates international local time Time in normal font indicates Brisbane time Time Difference Singapore 2 hours behind Brisbane Thursday 4 September 2008 – Brisbane to Singapore 11:45pm Depart Brisbane for Singapore Singapore Airlines Flight SQ246 Flight time: 8h Friday 5 September 2008 – Singapore 5:45am Arrive Singapore (7:45am) 7:00am Check into hotel (9:00am) 8:00am Parliamentary Secretary to depart hotel for meeting (10:00am) Travel time: 30m by car 9:00am – 9:30am Meeting with Dr Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary (11:00am – 11:30am) Secretary for Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources Venue: Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources 40 Scotts Road, #24-00 Environment Building Singapore 228231 Tel: 67319000 Fax: 67319456 9:30am Parliamentary Secretary to depart for next meeting (11:30am) Travel time: 30m by hire car 10:00am – 11:00am Meeting with Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Senior Minister of (12:00noon – 1:00pm) State, Ministry of Transport, and the Singapore Land Transport Authority Venue: Ministry of Transport 460 Alexandra Road, #39-00 PSA Building Singapore 119963 (Conference Room 1, Level 39) 5 9:45am – 11:30am Urban Development Workshop (11:45pm – 1:30pm) Note: Parliamentary Secretary did not participate in this workshop Venue: Vanda Room Level 5 Marina Mandarin Singapore 6 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square Singapore 11:00am Parliamentary Secretary to return to hotel to host lunch (1:00pm) for workshop participants Travel time: 30m by car 11:30am – 11:45am Meet with Queensland companies participating in (1:30pm – 1:45pm) workshop/luncheon 11:45am – 1:30pm Queensland Government Urban Development (1:45pm – 3:30pm) Luncheon Speech Venue: Vanda Room Level 5 Marina Mandarin Singapore 6 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square Singapore 1:30pm – 5:00pm James Cook University Singapore Campus Graduation (3:30pm – 7:00pm) Ceremony Speech Venue: Marina Mandarin Singapore 6 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square Singapore 7:30pm for 8:00pm Alumni function hosted by James Cook University (9:30pm for 10:00pm) Speech Venue: Marina Mandarin Singapore 6 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square Singapore Overnight Singapore Saturday 6 September 2008 – Singapore/Brisbane 10:30pm – 11:30pm Meeting with Mr Suhaimy Hassan, Education (12:30pm – 1:30pm) Counsellor, Australia Education International, Australian High Commission, Singapore 6 Venue: Marina Mandarin Singapore 6 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square Singapore 3:00pm – 4:00pm Meeting with DAS International regarding the (5:00pm – 7:00pm) Singapore River Lighting Project Venue: Cavanagh Bridge, adjacent to The Fullerton Hotel Singapore 1 Fullerton Square Singapore 9:10pm Depart Singapore for Brisbane (11:10pm) Singapore Airlines Flight SQ235 Flight time: 7h 25m Sunday 7 September 2008 – Brisbane 6:35am Arrive Brisbane 7 TRADE MISSION OBJECTIVES • Strengthen Government relationships with key government and business leaders in Singapore and support Queensland enterprises in this market. • Promote Queensland as Australia’s “Smart State” and as a potential collaborative, research and business partner, particularly in the areas of education, water infrastructure, urban development and transport. • Identify opportunities for Queensland businesses in Singapore and establish contacts to help develop the Queensland Singapore trade relationship. • Promote Queensland’s education capabilities, in particular the James Cook University. 8 OFFICIAL DELEGATION MEMBERS Mr Gary Fenlon MP Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations Mr Martin Bradshaw Policy Advisor, Office of the Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations BUSINESS DELEGATION MEMBERS Mr Steve Sanderson Principal Sanderson Group Malaysia Mr Gaurang Khemka Vice President Asia HOK Sport Venue Event Architecture Ms Mary-Lou Kelly Managing Director Ecospecifier Mr David Baggs Technical Director Ecospecifier Ms Kay Ganley Chief Executive Officer Charlton Brown; and State Director Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) Mr Warren G Dunne Director, DAS International Pty Ltd Mr Ross Palmer Principal, Palmer Acoustics (Australia) Pty Ltd 9 REPORT 10 MEETING WITH DR AMY KHOR, SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER RESOURCES Date: Friday 5 September 2008 Time: 9:00am – 9:30am ATTENDEES Dr Amy Khor Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources Mr Eng Tiang Sing Director of International Relations, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources Mr Bernard Koh General Manager of the Public Utilities Board Consultancy (and Industry Development), PUB MEETING SYNOPSIS • The purpose of this meeting was to personally deliver a letter from the Honourable Craig Wallace MP, Minister for Natural Resources and Water inviting HE Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Singaporean Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs to Queensland to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Urban Water Research and Management. • This meeting was also an opportunity to assess the potential trade opportunities from future joint projects under the MOU, particularly in the context of the emerging export capabilities mapped in the Queensland Government’s Water Sector Action Plan. BACKGROUND • The proposed Queensland − Singapore MOU is a result of Minister Wallace’s visit to Singapore in April 2007, where he represented Queensland at the inaugural Singapore Desalination and Water Reuse Leadership Summit. • During the visit, Minister Wallace met with Minister Yaacob to discuss water issues. Both Ministers gave in-principle agreement to collaborate on new water research. DISCUSSION POINTS AND OUTCOMES • I received a briefing from Dr Khor on Queensland − Singapore complementarities in water, particularly in relation to the proposed MOU. • I provided Dr Khor with the letter for Minister Yaacob on behalf of Minister Wallace and explained that the Queensland Government would like the Minister to visit Queensland to sign the MOU at a mutually convenient time. • Dr Khor undertook that the Ministry for the Environment and Water would work with the Queensland Government to investigate the possibility of Minister Yaacob visiting Queensland to sign the MOU either as part of a broader trade mission in 2008, or as a stand alone visit in 2009. • We discussed the potential for Queensland companies with capabilities in the water sector cooperatively targeting opportunities in the international arena. • Dr Khor referred to Queensland’s success in dramatically decreasing water consumption in South East Queensland and expressed interest in learning more about public education campaigns such as the Queensland Water Commission’s ‘Target 140’. 11 MEETING WITH MRS LIM HWEE HUA, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND THE SINGAPORE LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY Date: Friday 5 September 2008 Time: 10:00am – 11:00am ATTENDEES Mrs Lim Hwee Hua Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport (please note Senior Minister of State is equivalent to a Parliamentary Secretary) MEETING SYNOPSIS • This meeting was an opportunity to reciprocate a study tour undertaken by the Singapore Land Transport Authority to Queensland and further explore areas for potential collaboration in public transportation. BACKGROUND • A delegation from the Singapore Land Transport Authority recently visited Australia from 5 – 9 May 2008 with a stop over in Brisbane where they met with senior officers from Queensland Transport, the TransLink Transit Authority and the Department of Main Roads as part of a study tour. • The Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport, that spearheads land transport developments in Singapore. DISCUSSION POINTS AND OUTCOMES • Mrs Lim noted that the meetings held between
Recommended publications
  • Why Are Gender Reforms Adopted in Singapore? Party Pragmatism and Electoral Incentives* Netina Tan
    Why Are Gender Reforms Adopted in Singapore? Party Pragmatism and Electoral Incentives* Netina Tan Abstract In Singapore, the percentage of elected female politicians rose from 3.8 percent in 1984 to 22.5 percent after the 2015 general election. After years of exclusion, why were gender reforms adopted and how did they lead to more women in political office? Unlike South Korea and Taiwan, this paper shows that in Singapore party pragmatism rather than international diffusion of gender equality norms, feminist lobbying, or rival party pressures drove gender reforms. It is argued that the ruling People’s Action Party’s (PAP) strategic and electoral calculations to maintain hegemonic rule drove its policy u-turn to nominate an average of about 17.6 percent female candidates in the last three elections. Similar to the PAP’s bid to capture women voters in the 1959 elections, it had to alter its patriarchal, conservative image to appeal to the younger, progressive electorate in the 2000s. Additionally, Singapore’s electoral system that includes multi-member constituencies based on plurality party bloc vote rule also makes it easier to include women and diversify the party slate. But despite the strategic and electoral incentives, a gender gap remains. Drawing from a range of public opinion data, this paper explains why traditional gender stereotypes, biased social norms, and unequal family responsibilities may hold women back from full political participation. Keywords: gender reforms, party pragmatism, plurality party bloc vote, multi-member constituencies, ethnic quotas, PAP, Singapore DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5509/2016892369 ____________________ Netina Tan is an assistant professor of political science at McMaster University.
    [Show full text]
  • SC 100Yrs DG Speech Final (080110)
    WELCOME ADDRESS BY DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF CUSTOMS MR FONG YONG KIAN AT SINGAPORE CUSTOMS’ CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS, 8 JANUARY 2010, 11.10 AM, ORCHID COUNTRY CLUB Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam Minister, Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Transport, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua Distinguished Guests Fellow Colleagues INTRODUCTION 1. A very warm welcome to all of you. I would like to thank Prime Minister Lee for gracing this joyous event and our distinguished guests for joining us in commemorating this historic occasion for Singapore Customs. It is our pleasure and honour to have all of you here with us. 2. Today, we celebrate 100 years of Singapore Customs. The past 100 years contained many exciting changes for Customs. If one were to listen to different generations of Customs officers recounting their careers, we would no doubt hear many diverse stories. Customs’ roles have indeed evolved over the century. Please allow me to give a brief account of our history. 1 OUR HISTORY – RESPONDING TO TIMES 3. We trace our roots back to 1 st Jan 1910, when the Government Monopolies Department was formed under the Government of Straits Settlement to regulate and collect revenue from opium and liquor. At that time, these provided the colonial government with a steady and key source of income. 4. Tariff was later extended to tobacco and the Department also took over the collection of duty on petroleum from the Treasury. As the government increased its reliance on revenue from duties on tobacco, petroleum and liquor, the Government Monopolies Department was renamed as Excise Department in 1935, and later in 1938 to Department of Customs and Excise.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Singapore's Dominant Party System
    Tan, Kenneth Paul (2017) “Singapore’s Dominant Party System”, in Governing Global-City Singapore: Legacies and Futures after Lee Kuan Yew, Routledge 1 Singapore’s dominant party system On the night of 11 September 2015, pundits, journalists, political bloggers, aca- demics, and others in Singapore’s chattering classes watched in long- drawn amazement as the media reported excitedly on the results of independent Singa- pore’s twelfth parliamentary elections that trickled in until the very early hours of the morning. It became increasingly clear as the night wore on, and any optimism for change wore off, that the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) had swept the votes in something of a landslide victory that would have puzzled even the PAP itself (Zakir, 2015). In the 2015 general elections (GE2015), the incumbent party won 69.9 per cent of the total votes (see Table 1.1). The Workers’ Party (WP), the leading opposition party that had five elected members in the previous parliament, lost their Punggol East seat in 2015 with 48.2 per cent of the votes cast in that single- member constituency (SMC). With 51 per cent of the votes, the WP was able to hold on to Aljunied, a five-member group representation constituency (GRC), by a very slim margin of less than 2 per cent. It was also able to hold on to Hougang SMC with a more convincing win of 57.7 per cent. However, it was undoubtedly a hard defeat for the opposition. The strong performance by the PAP bucked the trend observed since GE2001, when it had won 75.3 per cent of the total votes, the highest percent- age since independence.
    [Show full text]
  • Institutionalized Leadership: Resilient Hegemonic Party Autocracy in Singapore
    Institutionalized Leadership: Resilient Hegemonic Party Autocracy in Singapore By Netina Tan PhD Candidate Political Science Department University of British Columbia Paper prepared for presentation at CPSA Conference, 28 May 2009 Ottawa, Ontario Work- in-progress, please do not cite without author’s permission. All comments welcomed, please contact author at [email protected] Abstract In the age of democracy, the resilience of Singapore’s hegemonic party autocracy is puzzling. The People’s Action Party (PAP) has defied the “third wave”, withstood economic crises and ruled uninterrupted for more than five decades. Will the PAP remain a deviant case and survive the passing of its founding leader, Lee Kuan Yew? Building on an emerging scholarship on electoral authoritarianism and the concept of institutionalization, this paper argues that the resilience of hegemonic party autocracy depends more on institutions than coercion, charisma or ideological commitment. Institutionalized parties in electoral autocracies have a greater chance of survival, just like those in electoral democracies. With an institutionalized leadership succession system to ensure self-renewal and elite cohesion, this paper contends that PAP will continue to rule Singapore in the post-Lee era. 2 “All parties must institutionalize to a certain extent in order to survive” Angelo Panebianco (1988, 54) Introduction In the age of democracy, the resilience of Singapore’s hegemonic party regime1 is puzzling (Haas 1999). A small island with less than 4.6 million population, Singapore is the wealthiest non-oil producing country in the world that is not a democracy.2 Despite its affluence and ideal socio- economic prerequisites for democracy, the country has been under the rule of one party, the People’s Action Party (PAP) for the last five decades.
    [Show full text]
  • Dream Big, Learn Big CONTENTS
    October–November 2010 seaMICA (P) 037/10/2009 Bi-Monthly Publicationvoices of the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union and Wavelink Co-operative Dream Big, Learn Big COnTENTS makewaves WMI 3 SMOU & Wavelink Bursary/Scholarship Awards 18 Training Calendar 6 Recognising Seafarers on World Maritime Day 2010 20 Excuse Me, We Speak English 7 Tripartite MLC Forum 21 Third TNTA Programme Launches Out 8 Equipping and Empowering Women Leaders 22 SMOU Geared Up to Train ILO MLC 2006 23 More CadetsPlus Programmes in China and Philippines theIRfile lighthouse 10 Ishima CBA Renewal 11 ITF & International Shipping Spearhead an End to Piracy 24 Celebrate your Birthday at Lighthouse Bistro! 12 AET Rewards Good Performers 25 It’s Mee Goreng like Never Before! 13 More Members Attest to SPF’s Effectiveness 26 Chilean Wine Promotion membuzz 14 Bowled Over: Young SMOU turn up the heat 11 16 SMOU 59th Anniversary Dinner and Dance 17 SMOU turns 60 in 2011/ Renew your Membership for 2011 and Stand the Chance to Win! Wavelink Building 75 Jellicoe Road #02-01 Singapore 208738 Tel : [65] 6396 0123 Fax : [65] 6339 5436 Website : www.smou.org.sg 10 20 Working hours: Mon to Fri : 9am to 6pm Sat : 9am to 1pm Lighthouse operating hours: Mon to Thur : 11am to 9pm Fri to Sat : 11am to 10pm For enquiries on advertising in the SeaVoices, please call us. Tel : [65] 6390 1640 22 24 makewaves Dream Big, Learn Big SMOU & Wavelink BUrSary/SchOlarShip AwardS It was that time of the year for students who performed well at their PSLE, ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels recognising students’ efforts and hard exams.
    [Show full text]
  • Speech by Dr Lee Boon Yang, Chairman, Sph and Sph
    SPEECH BY DR LEE BOON YANG, CHAIRMAN, SPH AND SPH FOUNDATION AT THE SPH AND SPH FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS CEREMONY 2018 HELD ON MONDAY, 16 JULY 2018 AT 3.00 PM AT THE SPH NEWS CENTRE AUDITORIUM Ladies and Gentlemen A very good afternoon to all. Welcome to the annual SPH and SPH Foundation Scholarship Awards Ceremony 2018. Let me begin by congratulating all scholarship recipients. This year, we have 4 journalism scholars. We will also be presenting 14 scholarships to the children of SPH staff and newspaper vendors, as well as 11 Lim Kim San Memorial Scholarships. I would like to congratulate the proud parents, family members and loved ones who are here today. Quality journalism and transformation are key The global media industry continues to face volatility and disruption. Today, platforms such as Facebook and Google are changing the way people access the news. The emergence of new technologies driven by powerful algorithms, artificial intelligence and data analytics are shaping the types of content that gets wider circulation. 1 We have also experienced the emergence of fake news. This is in part owing to deceptive advertising, deliberate falsehoods or lack of fact-checking arising from unprofessional journalism. Faced with such volatility and challenges, journalists have a more important role to restore trust and confidence in media companies. Journalists should always ensure accurate and objective presentation and delivery of news that readers would want to turn to, and can rely on. SPH will always uphold the highest standard of quality journalism. At the same time, we will also continue to innovate and transform our business operations.
    [Show full text]
  • Statement by Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister of State
    Singapore STATEMENT BY MRS YU-FOO YEE SHOON, MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS AT THE EAST ASIA GENDER EQUALITY MINISTERIAL MEETING, 30 JUNE – 1 JULY 2006, TOKYO, JAPAN Good Morning/Afternoon The Honourable Minister of State for Gender Equality and Social Affairs, Dr Kuniko Inoguchi Your Excellencies, Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, Madam Chairperson, My delegation applauds Japan for organising this inaugural East Asia Gender Equality Ministerial Meeting which brings together key leaders and experts from the East Asian countries to discuss, share best practices, and generate ideas on enhancing the well-being and contributions of women. I am indeed honoured to be part of this significant event. 1 2 The Singapore delegation would like to place on record our appreciation to the Honourable Dr Kuniko Inoguchi and your staff for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements for this Meeting. Domestic and International Legislation and Systems Regarding Gender Equality Principle of Meritocracy 3 Singapore is committed to achieving the goals set by the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and to our obligations as a state party of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). We continue to nurture an enabling environment to give both our men and women equal opportunities to contribute and exercise fundamental freedoms in the political, economic and social spheres. The principle of equality for all persons is enshrined in Article 12 of the Singapore Constitution which states that “All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law”.
    [Show full text]
  • Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 218)
    FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2006 1 First published in the Government Gazette, Electronic Edition, on 8th June 2006 at 5.00 pm. No. 1432 — PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ACT (CHAPTER 218) NOTICE UNDER SECTION 75 Notice is hereby given, pursuant to section 75 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, that the returns respecting the election expenses and their accompanying statements in connection with the contested parliamentary elections held on 6 May 2006 were received from the election agents of the candidates whose names are set out in the first column of the Schedule on the dates set out in the second column thereof. The returns and statements may be inspected at the office of the Returning Officer, 11 Prinsep Link, Singapore 187949, during office hours on any working day during the period of 6 months from the date of the publication of this Notice. THE SCHEDULE First column Second column 1. Ling How Doong 18 May 2006 2. Steve Chia Kiah Hong 24 May 2006 3. Chiam See Tong 27 May 2006 4. Mohamed Isa B Abdul Aziz 29 May 2006 5. Sin Kek Tong 29 May 2006 6. Yong Chu Leong 29 May 2006 7. Chee Siok Chin 30 May 2006 8. Sng Choon Guan 30 May 2006 9. Abdul Salim Bin Harun 31 May 2006 10. Chan Soo Sen 31 May 2006 11. Cynthia Phua Siok Gek 31 May 2006 12. Denise Phua Lay Peng 31 May 2006 13. Eric Low Siak Meng 31 May 2006 14. Fong Chin Leong 31 May 2006 15. Gan Kim Yong 31 May 2006 16. George Yong-Boon Yeo 31 May 2006 17.
    [Show full text]
  • Kodrah Kristang: the Initiative to Revitalize the Kristang Language in Singapore
    Language Documentation & Conservation Special Publication No. 19 Documentation and Maintenance of Contact Languages from South Asia to East Asia ed. by Mário Pinharanda-Nunes & Hugo C. Cardoso, pp.35–121 http:/nflrc.hawaii.edu/ldc/sp19 2 http://hdl.handle.net/10125/24906 Kodrah Kristang: The initiative to revitalize the Kristang language in Singapore Kevin Martens Wong National University of Singapore Abstract Kristang is the critically endangered heritage language of the Portuguese-Eurasian community in Singapore and the wider Malayan region, and is spoken by an estimated less than 100 fluent speakers in Singapore. In Singapore, especially, up to 2015, there was almost no known documentation of Kristang, and a declining awareness of its existence, even among the Portuguese-Eurasian community. However, efforts to revitalize Kristang in Singapore under the auspices of the community-based non-profit, multiracial and intergenerational Kodrah Kristang (‘Awaken, Kristang’) initiative since March 2016 appear to have successfully reinvigorated community and public interest in the language; more than 400 individuals, including heritage speakers, children and many people outside the Portuguese-Eurasian community, have joined ongoing free Kodrah Kristang classes, while another 1,400 participated in the inaugural Kristang Language Festival in May 2017, including Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and the Portuguese Ambassador to Singapore. Unique features of the initiative include the initiative and its associated Portuguese-Eurasian community being situated in the highly urbanized setting of Singapore, a relatively low reliance on financial support, visible, if cautious positive interest from the Singapore state, a multiracial orientation and set of aims that embrace and move beyond the language’s original community of mainly Portuguese-Eurasian speakers, and, by design, a multiracial youth-led core team.
    [Show full text]
  • Opening Speech by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Defence Technology Community's 50Th Anniversary Dinner
    Opening Speech by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Defence Technology Community's 50th Anniversary Dinner 07 Nov 2016 President Tony Tan, Emeritus Senior Minister, Former Minister and Second Minister for Defence, Permanent Secretaries and Chief of Defence Force, Former Permanent Secretaries, Distinguished guests, colleagues and friends, Welcome to the DTC50 Dinner First, a very good evening and welcome to tonight's dinner where we celebrate together the jubilee year of the Defence Technology Community, or DTC. I know all of you feel honoured as I do, because we have with us tonight President Tony Tan, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Dr Lee Boon Yang, Mr Lui Tuck Yew, previous Ministers for Defence; as well as previous Permanent Secretaries, among them Mr Lim Siong Guan and Mr Chiang Chie Foo, who oversaw the development of this community, the DTC. I look forward to President Tony Tan's speech wherein the achievements of the DTC will be recounted. We are all very proud of the achievements of the DTC, which give us an assurance of a secure future. These achievements were only possible because of the collective efforts of the entire MINDEF and the SAF family. Individually each of you played a role in your unit, whether it was in the Army, Navy, or Airforce, Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) or DSO, whether it was in technical vocations as well as combat, to make that extra effort to push our defence capabilities forward. Tonight, it is both somewhat formal, somewhat informal - it is a meeting of old friends.
    [Show full text]
  • Singapore Year Book of International Law and Contributors
    (2006) 10 SYBIL 323–348 © 2006 Singapore Year Book of International Law and Contributors SINGAPORE: REVIEW OF MAJOR POLICY STATEMENTS ∗ by C. L. LIM I. INTRODUCTION The following issues have been selected from the past year:1 1. Relations with Malaysia concerning the proposed construction of a bridge to replace the Causeway connecting Malaysia to Singapore; 2. maritime security in the Straits of Malacca and in the region, especially in connection with increasing participation in the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP); 3. human rights, following the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial, Sum- mary or Arbitrary Executions, Professor Philip Alston’s remarks on the death penalty in Singapore, and Myanmar’s decision to forego the Chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2005; 4. the Iran nuclear issue, in connection with the Non-Aligned Movement’s (NAM) statement; 5. terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; 6. practice in international and regional organisations, including ASEAN; and 7. other statements. II. ON-GOING NEGOTIATIONS WITH MALAYSIA Following the announcement by the Malaysian Government in April of this year that it would not proceed with the construction of the proposed bridge to replace the Causeway, Singapore Foreign Minister, Mr. George Yeo said in response to media queries on the same day that:2 [I]t came as quite a surprise to me because we were negotiating and making good progress. At about 1 o’clock on 12 April 2006, Syed Hamid gave me a call and told me that the Malaysian Cabinet had taken this decision and that PM Abdullah Badawi ∗ Of the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore.
    [Show full text]
  • Eleventh Parliament of Singapore (Second Session) Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer Not Answered By
    ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE (SECOND SESSION) _________________ WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER NOT ANSWERED BY 3.00 PM MONDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2009 6 80 SCHOOL CHILDREN AS RUNNERS FOR LOAN SHARKS *23. Er Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Minister for Education (a) what action is the Ministry taking to prevent school children from being lured into working as runners for loan sharks; and (b) how many students have been caught for such activities in the past 12 months. Dr Ng Eng Hen: Police data indicate that from 1 Oct 2008 to 30 Sep 2009, 136 youths were arrested for loanshark and related harassment activities, of which almost half were students. Ultimately, parents are primary caregivers of their children. They must take responsibility to monitor the after-school activities of their children and know who their children are interacting with so as to provide timely guidance to their children. The reasons for school children being lured into working for such activities are complex. Even as we reiterate the responsibility of parents to mould their children’s character, schools can play a complementary reinforcing role in this respect. Schools raise awareness of their students to illegal activities through the formal curriculum and a variety of character development and life-skills programmes, in order to teach them to discern right from wrong. The actions taken by schools include counselling and support, and as a last resort, disciplinary actions. Schools also engage the parents and community to work in partnership in nurturing our young holistically. Schools have adopted a variety of strategies to facilitate communication with parents and keep them informed about the needs of their children.
    [Show full text]