ANNUAL REPORT 1976-77 INSTITUTE OF . SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES SINGAPORE The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Established as an autonomous organisation, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies is a regional research centre for scholars and other specialists concernt!d with mod~n Southeast Asia. The Institute's research interest is focused on the many-faceted problems of Development, Modernization, and Political and Social Change in Southeast Asia. The Institute is governed by a 24-member Board of Trustees on which are re­ presented the University of Singapore and Nanyang University, appointees from the Government, as well as representatives from a broad range of professional and civic organizations and groups. A 10-man Executive Committee oversees day·to-day operations; it is ex-officio chaired by the Director, the Institute's chief academic and administrative officer. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies 1 Readers in the /SEAS library reading raom 2 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Annual Report 1 April1976 - 31 March 1977 INTRODUCTION by Professor Saw Swee Hock, Dean of Commerce and Head of the Department of Economics and Statistics, Nanyang Univer· The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies was established sity. Mr. Fossil Yahiya, a representative from the Malay Chamber in 1968 for the promotion of research on Southeast Asia. of Commerce, was replaced in July by Haji M. Moosa, the It was conceived of as being a "prestigious institution" and was Managing Proprietor of Haji M. Moosa & Co. Mr. Tan Boon Seng to have "first·class faci lities", thereby providing scholars and of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was appointed in place of fellows with as congenial and as efficient a base as possible Miss Lim Hsiu Mei of the Ministry of Finance. Finally, Mr. F.J. for their research. Unfortunately, the lns~itute has yet to be Geiser, who left Singapore to take up a new assignment in provided with the necessary physical facil ities conducive to Houston, U.S.A., was replaced in October by Mr. Roderick maximum development. But, despite having had to work with Maclean, Executive Director of the International Chamber inadequate and limited facilities, the Institute has managed to of Commerce. The Institute would like to thank Professor make a good start towards promoting worthwhile research on Jacen T. Hsieh, Mr. Fossil Yahiya, Miss Lim Hsiu Mei , and Southeast Asia. Moreover, the Institute's activities and scope Mr. F.J. Geiser for their valuable contributions during their have expanded rapidly over the last few years to reach a stage term of office and at the same time welcome Professor Saw where the Institute is increasingly beginning to function as a Swee Hock, Haji M. Moosa, Mr. Tan Boon Sen~, and major regional and international research centre for scholars Mr. Roderick Maclean. As we have constantly stressed, in and other specialists concerned with modern .Southeast Asia. welcoming new members to the Board and bidding farewell The report below outlines the Institute's main activities during to those leaving, it is always our hope that former members of the past year as well as touches upon some of its forthcoming the Board would continue to maintain active links with the programmes. Institute long after the completion of their respective terms of office. BOARD OF TRUSTEES STAFF The Board met several times during the year under the Chairmanship of Mr. A.P. Rajah. As in previous years, it also In keeping with its primary function as a research organi­ underwent changes in its composition as some members left zation, the Institute continuously seeks the injection of as much and were replaced by new ones. Professor Jacen T . Hsieh, new blood and ideas as possible, and as such there is the usual one of the "veterans" of the Board, left in May when he retired turnover of staff in any one year. This year was no exception. from his position in Nanyang University. He was replaced Dr. Somporn Sangchai, a Senior Research Officer, resigned in 3 May to return to Thailand. At the same time, Mr. Raja Segaran Hong, Assistant Librarian, went to the conference on "The Arumugam left his post as Research Officer to take up a new Need to Know - Developing Public Library Services for the appointment with the Government of Singapore, while Dr. Community" organized by the Library Associations of Malaysia S.B.D. de Silva, an economist from Sri Lanka, returned to his and Singapore, and held in Kuala Lumpur on 3-6 March 1977; home country in November on the completion of his contract and Mrs. P. Lim Pui Huen, the Librarian, attended the 29th as Research Officer with the Institute. The Institute is sorry Annual Meeting of the Association of Asian Studies in New to lose their services but wishes them well in their new appoint­ York from 25 to 27 March 1977. Mrs Lim also stopped over in ments. In the meantime, it is in the process of filling the London en route to visit the Public Record Office and other positions vacated. It is also pleased to announce that Mr. Lim British archives and libraries. Then Mr. Arthur Lim Joo-Jock, Han Yong, who went on a Loke Foundation Scholarship to one of the Research Officers, served on the Pre-University study for a Master of Economics degree at the University of Seminar Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Education. Osaka and for language training in Japanese at the same Finally, Miss Foo was elected a Council member of the Library University, retumed after successfully completing his studies Association of Singapore in March 1977 and Mrs Lim, a Council to join the Institute's staff as a Research Officer. member of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. There was a turnover in the library staff too. It lost the services of its two Assistant Librarians in the course of the year. RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS Miss Tan Sok Joo resigned in September to take up an appoint­ ment as lecturer in the Department of English Language and ISEAS Research Fellowships Literature, University of Singapore. Miss Khoo Cheng lmm left at the end of October to join the Iibrary of the Monetary The Institute awards a few Research Fellowships every Authority of Singapore. They have been replaced by Miss Foo year to established and promising Southeast Asian scholars. Chay Hong, formerly from Asian Mass Communication The awards are particularly suitable for academics and others Research and Information Centre (AMIC), and Miss Lee Nyok who are at the tail-end of their research projects, and who are Chin, a graduate from Loughborough University of Technology, looking for appropriate facilities for the writing up of their final England. reports or monographs/books. Each fellowship award is tenable for any length of time up to a maximum period of twelve In addition to their normal responsibilities and duties at calendar months. the Institute, the staff, as in the past, remained active in pro­ fessional affairs and activities. Thus, whilst Mrs. Christine Tan, These fellowships are becoming highly compet1t1ve and the Editor, attended the International Association of Scholarly preference is now given to candidates with Ph.D. or equivalent Publishers (IASP) Conference and the 20th International qualifications. For 1976/77, fellowships were awarded to Publishers' Association (IPA) Congress in Tokyo from 25 May Dr. Thamsook Numnonda, Assistant Professor at the Faculty to 1 June; and the Director, Professor Kernial S. Sandhu, of Arts, Silapakorn University, Thailand; Dr. Soewito Santoso, participated in the "Workshop on Transnational Organizations Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Oriental and Asian Studies, and Networks: Policy Options for Global Interdependence" Australian National University; Drs. Sediono Tjondronegoro, organized by the Culture Learning Institute, East-West Center, Associate Professor of Sociology, Bogor Agricultural University; Honolulu, in Hawaii on 12-20 September; Miss Foo Chay Dr. Eva Ventura, Professor in the Department of Political 4 Science, University of the Philippines; and Dr. Edilberto C. de Fellows under this scheme were Dr. Hilman Adil of Indonesia Jesus, Associate Professor in the Asian Institute of Management, and Dr. Peter Polomka of Australia. Their respective studies Manila. on "Australia's Policy Towards Indonesia during Confrontation, 1962-1966", and "Southeast Asia and the Law of the Sea", Whilst at the Institute, Dr. Numnonda will analyse "The have been completed. The third awardee was Dr. Rodney Tiffen Impact of Japanese Presence in Thailand, 1941-45"; Dr. of Monash University. Dr. Tiffen has also completed his work Santoso, "The Ramayana-Kakawin"; Dr. Tjondronegoro, on "The Flow of News from Southeast Asia to Australia". "The Organizational Phenomenon and Planned Development in Rural Communities of Java"; Dr. Ventura, "The Development The fourth and current recipient of this Fellowship is of Local Government in the Philippines"; and Dr. de Jesus, Dr. Khien Theeravit, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Political "The Tobacco Monopoly in the Philippines, 1782-1898". Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. Dr. Khien will be making a study of Australia· Thailand relations. Further details of these research projects are provided on pages 8 and 12 below. Fulbright~ Hays Research Grant As we have pointed out in our previous Annual Report, This research grant, tenable at the Institute, is open to all the Research Fellowships Programme of the Institute is beginning American scholars possessing Ph.D. qualifications and who are to be w idely recognised and the Institute is receiving an ever· interested in pursuing comparative research on topics relating increasing number of suitably qualified applicants. Unfortunate­ to Southeast Asia within any of the fields of the Social Sciences ly, we are able to award but a few fellowships in any one year and the Humanities. on account of insufficient funds. This programme is financed solely from interests earned from fixed deposits of the Institute's The first Fulbright-Hays grantee, Dr.