shaping modern Singapore.Among his many achievements,they identified his leadership ofOCBC which helped to positionSingapore as a regional financialhub. Other guests at the galaincluded U.N. Secretary-Gen-eral Kofi Annan, former Feder-al Reserve Bank chairman PaulVolcker, head of IBM SamuelPalmisano and senior U.S. gov-ernment officials.

The event raised US $750,000

SingaporeSingaporeAUG / SEPT / OCT 2006

An update

from the Singapore Embassy

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Woodrow Wilson Gala in New YorkIn New York, MM Lee

received the top public serviceaward from the Woodrow Wil-son International Center forScholars. In his acceptancespeech, he said that multilateral-ism won the Cold War and itwould win the war on terror.

“No single power, no reli-gion, no single ideology canconquer the world, or remake itin its own image. The world istoo diverse,” MM Lee said. Henoted that the basic feature ofU.S. foreign policy to containthe former Soviet Union wasinclusiveness — embracing allthose countries that opposedcommunism, whatever their gov-ernments. (Read MM’s speech atthe Singapore Embassy website atwww.mfa.gov.sg/washingtonunder the “Speeches/Statements” link.)

At the gala dinner wheresome 400 guests witnessed theaward ceremony, MM Leereceived numerous accolades,including from former Presi-dent George H.W. Bush, whosaid in a pre-taped video trib-ute: “He (MM Lee) is a man ofprinciple. He stands up forwhat he believes in. I haveknown him for a long time and Ican say that he is a true leaderbecause people listen to him andfollow him.” Also appearing on

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew Visits U.S.Singapore Minister Mentor (MM) Lee Kuan Yew, former prime minister and long-time player

in the international arena, recently completed a two-week visit to the U.S. MM Lee’s travels took

him to several different parts of the country — from New York City, to Washington, DC, to Dallas

and, finally, Las Vegas.

MM Lee’s tribute video wereformer State Secretaries HenryKissinger and George Shultz,and former Treasury SecretaryRobert Rubin.

Singapore banker and for-mer chairman of the OverseasChinese Banking Corporation(OCBC), Mr. Lee Seng Weealso received the award for cor-porate citizenship. In the videotribute, the Center said that inhis own quiet way, Mr. Leeplayed an important role in

New “News” Section on Embassy Web Site

Want to keep up on the latest newsfrom Singapore and the region?

A daily selection of news reports fromThe Straits Times and The Business

Times is available at noon each day onthe Singapore Embassy website at

www.mfa.gov.sg/washington.

Click “News” for a list of articles.

MM Lee (right) received the Woodrow WilsonAward for Public Service from Joseph Gildenhorn,

former ambassador and chairman of the WoodrowWilson International Center for Scholars.

Photo: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

for the Woodrow Wilson Centerfor International Scholars whichwill be used to support researchin the social sciences and human-ities at the institute.

Meeting Senior Officials inWashington, DC

In Washington, DC, MMLee met with President GeorgeW. Bush, Vice President RichardCheney, Defence SecretaryDonald Rumsfeld, Secretary ofState Condoleezza Rice andTreasury Secretary Henry Paul-son.

During their meeting at theWhite House, MM Lee andPresident Bush discussed anumber of international issues,including the situations inNorth Korea and the MiddleEast. The White House state-ment, which referred to MMLee as “an elder statesmanwhose voice is respected in Asiaand the world,” said that itappreciated MM Lee’s insightson a range of issues, especiallyissues facing Asia.

In his meetings with theother senior administration offi-cials, MM Lee was consistent inhis message — that the U.S. has

to remain engaged in the Mid-dle East and Asia. He addedthat he did not think the U.S.was disengaging from Asia,even though its focus was nowon the Middle East.

Tate Lecture in Dallas, Then onto Las Vegas

Next, in Dallas, MM Leedelivered the Willis M. TateLecture at the SouthernMethodist University to 2,000students, faculty and guests. Hetold the audience that Asia’srevival would unfold over the

next 50 years. He also discussedthe impact the conflicts in theMiddle East would have onSoutheast Asia.

“The outcome of the violenceand bloodshed in the MiddleEast will affect the attitudes ofMuslims in Southeast Asia(numbering) nearly 250 millionin Indonesia, Malaysia, Thai-land and the Philippines,” MMLee said. “So the outcome of theproblems in Iraq and Iran willaffect Singapore.”

The last leg of MM Lee’sU.S. trip was in Las Vegas. Sin-gapore is in the process of devel-oping two integrated resortsthat will include casinos, and theMinister Mentor toured TheVenetian and New York NewYork casino resorts. He alsoheld talks with the senior man-agement of the Las Vegas SandsCorporation, which earlier thisyear was awarded a license tobuild a casino as part of the inte-grated resort at Singapore’sMarina Bay (see story on page 7).The resort is expected to openin late 2009.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew Visits U.S.

c o n t i n u e d f r o m f i r s t p a g e

MM Lee met with President George W. Bush at the Oval Office for 50 minutes.

Singaporean banker andformer chairman of theOverseas Chinese BankingCorporation, Mr. Lee SengWee (right) received theWoodrow Wilson Award forCorporate Citizenship fromDavid Metzner (left), vicechairman of the WoodrowWilson International Centerfor Scholars.

Foreign Ministers Meet at theASEAN RegionalForum

Singapore Foreign Minister GeorgeYeo met with U.S. Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice at the sidelines ofthe ASEAN (Association of SoutheastAsian Nations) Regional Forum, asecurity meeting of 25 Asian andWestern countries.

Mr. Yeo and Ms. Rice exchangedviews on how to stop the cycle ofviolence in the Middle East and thesituation with North Korea. They alsodiscussed developments in ASEAN andthe East Asia Summit, and preparationsfor the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-U.S.Dialogue Relations next year underSingapore’s chairmanship of ASEAN.

During the Forum, the U.S. and theten-member ASEAN announced theagreement on a five-year action planto forge closer trade and political ties,a sign of U.S. commitment to theregion. “ASEAN is an important organi-sation for us,” said U.S. AssistantSecretary of State Christopher Hill.

ASEAN Secretary-General OngKeng Yong said the action plan in theASEAN-U.S. pact was predicated on theposition that the U.S. would like to domore to open up its trade with ASEANcountries.

In addition, the agreement calls forASEAN-U.S. cooperation in the areasof politics, security, and investment.Among other issues, both the U.S.and ASEAN officials said they wouldexplore the possibility of conveningan ASEAN-U.S. summit, and to worktogether at the United Nations onissues such as U.N. reforms, terrorismand other matters related to interna-tional peace and security.

Photo: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Photo: M

inister Mentor’s O

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IMF-WB Annual Meetings in Singapore

Taste of SingaporeSenior Minister Goh Chok

Tong hosted the WelcomeReception on September 19 atEsplanade Theatres on the Bay.Delegates were treated to anevening of cultural performanc-es and gastronomical delights ina colourful Festival Village set-ting capturing the best of Singa-pore’s Chinese, Malay, Indian,Eurasian and Peranakan ethnicgroups. Delegates were fascinat-ed to see the many facades ofSingapore. They sampled Eur-asian Devil Curry, learnt the artof Peranakan beading, dressed upas an Indian Kathakali dancer,participated in a Malay weddingand had their fortunes told byChinese masters.

Inside the Esplanade the-atres and concert hall, a specialperformance of Singapore’sRepertory Theatre’s ‘ForbiddenCity — Portrait of an Empress’musical as well as the staging ofthe S2006 commissioned ‘Dias-pora’ performance gave the del-

egates a flavour of Singapore’sgrowing arts scene. The eveningclimaxed with a fireworks finaleover Marina Bay and the cityskyline.

Singapore 2006The high turnout at the

Annual Meetings reflected thegrowing interest in Asia as theregion recovers from the finan-cial crisis of 1997, when themeetings were held in HongKong. Singapore 2006 succeed-ed in bringing the global atten-tion back to the region. TheRaffles Forum, organised by theLee Kuan Yew School of PublicPolicy, focused on “Good Gov-ernance and the Wealth ofNations.” The annual Pro-gramme of Seminars, whichwas co-hosted for the first timeby the Institute of Policy Stud-ies, had sessions focusing on thetheme “Asia in the World, theWorld in Asia”.

The 2006 Annual Meetingswill also be remembered for theIMF’s landmark reforms.China, South Korea, Turkeyand Egypt were given increasedvoting rights signifying thebiggest reform of governance inthe IMF for 16 years, and theIMF’s efforts to change the bal-ance of global economic power.In addition, the meetings also

sought to push the World TradeOrganisation to resume theDoha trade talks which hadstalled.

“We are all very encouragedby the Finance Ministersadding their bit and makingtheir call for the Doha talks tobe resumed. Singapore presentsitself as a model of a countrythat has benefited from the lib-eralisation of the global tradingregime,” said Mr Lim HngKiang, Deputy Chairman of theMonetary Authority of Singa-pore and Singapore’s Ministerfor Trade and Industry.

Singapore’s reputation asAsia’s Top Convention City wasalso given a boost through theremarks made by both IMF/World Bank leaders as well asdelegates. IMF Managing Direc-

Over 20,000 participants were

accredited during Singapore 2006

(S2006), the collective term used

to describe the over 300 meet-

ings, forums, seminars and events

of which the highlight was the

2006 Annual Meetings of Interna-

tional Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) Group. This was

the biggest turnout at an IMF-WB Annual Meeting held outside

Washington DC, and this does not include the more than 5,000

executives from global financial institutions who visited the island

state for their respective institutions’ private events held to coin-

cide with S2006 from September 13 to 20, 2006.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed the meeting participants during the week-long event.

Speaking to some 250 bankers at theRaffles Forum held in conjunction with the IMF-World Bank meetings, MM Lee talkedabout good governance and its importance.

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Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong hosted a wonderful evening of cultural performances and gastronomical delights for the IMF delgatesand their spouses.

tor Mr. Rodrigo de Rato thank-ed Singapore for hosting “effec-tive and well-managed meet-ings” while World Bank Presi-dent Mr. Paul Wolfowitz com-plimented the “efficient, respon-sive and courteous support” hereceived throughout his stay.

These sentiments were echo-ed by Mr. Bozo Jasovic, alter-nate governor of the Bank ofSlovenia, who said: “Singapore’smulticultural setting at the cross-roads of cultures and its remark-able economic achievementsmake it an ideal venue for hold-ing such meetings.” He added:“Singapore tops the most recent

World Bank ranking as the mostfriendly business environmentand we came here to learn fromSingapore’s insights.”

Showcasing Singapore Beyond the meetings, dele-

gates and their spouses weretreated to a wide array of activi-ties that brought out the bestSingapore had to offer. Theseincluded personalised gifts forattendees and tours that show-cased Singapore’s multiculturalarts and heritage. All the over-seas visitors went home with apiece of Singapore and manyhappy memories of their stayhere. Sharing her thoughts aftera visit to the Singapore BotanicGardens, one delegate said: “Ivisited the city for the first timenearly 20 years ago and everythird year, they hold IMF meet-ings outside Washington. Andof those places, I think Singa-pore is the nicest one.”

Foreign media representa-tives were also given opportuni-ties to learn more about Singa-pore’s successes through eco-nomic briefings and visits tovarious government statutoryboards and ministries. Some ofthe more popular requestsincluded visits to the Port ofSingapore Authority, the Singa-pore Tourism Board, the Singa-pore Economic DevelopmentBoard and the Agri-Food andVeterinary Authority, whichshowcased Singapore’s orna-mental fish farming and orchidindustry.

Mr. Gideon Sackitey, ChiefEconomic Reporter from theGhana News Agency said: “Wethink that with the history andscope of Qian Hu Fish Farmand the kind of technology theyare using, it would be appropri-ate to know what they are doingand we in the media could cap-ture and share this with our pol-icy makers and private sectorback home.”

IMF-WB Annual Meetings in Singaporec o n t i n u e d f r o m p r e v i o u s p a g e

Thank You’sThe Singapore 2006 organis-

ers received numerous acco-lades and appreciation lettersfrom VIPs and delegates for thewell-run meetings. Prime Min-ister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong feltthat the meetings went well andsaid that many delegates hadtold him that they wereimpressed with the efficiency ofthe arrangements and thewarmth of the welcome theyreceived in Singapore.

Besides the thousands of vol-unteers, staff and security per-sonnel, PM Lee added: “Otherstoo — taxi drivers, sales assis-tants, and ordinary citizens —have adopted the spirit of FourMillion Smiles, gone the extramile to be helpful to the visitors,and done Singapore proud.”

Delegates and members of the publiccould access the Internet at these broadband stations located throughout themeeting venues for the duration of the IMF-WB Meetings.

Photos: Singapore Press Holdings

During their meeting, managing director of the IMF, Mr. Rodrigo de Rato, briefed PM Lee on the keyissues that would be discussed during the annual meetings, and exchanged views on global issues.

World Bank president, Mr. Paul Wolfowitz exchanged views with PM Lee on development strategiesof Asian countries and the importance of securing a positive outcome in the WTO Doha Round.

U.S. Cancer Clinic Opens in SingaporeTennessee-based West Clinic, a premier cancer centre, announced the opening

of the West Clinic Excellence Cancer Centre in Singapore. The comprehensive cen-tre is a joint venture with Excellence Healthcare, a multi-disciplinary medical cen-ter. The Centre will provide world-class U.S.-based medical treatment to cancerpatients in Southeast Asia by U.S. physicians and nurses. It will house state-of-the-art imaging technologies including Positron Emission Tomography and Com-puted Tomography (PET/CT).

Steven J. Tucker, MD, will serve as Medical Director for the West Clinic Excel-lence Cancer Centre. An eminent prostate cancer specialist, Dr. Tucker is the for-mer Director of the Prostate & Genitourinary Oncology Programme with the Ange-les Clinic & Research Institute in Santa Monica, California. Additionally, he servedas Attending Physician with Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre and Assistant Professorof Clinical Medicine at the UCLA School of Medicine.

“Singapore’s Ministry of Health has demonstrated its commitment to deliveroutstanding medical care, promote health, and reduce illness for Singaporean res-idents,” said Dr. Tucker. “We are pleased to partner with Excellence Healthcare,an outstanding subspecialty medical centre.”

The West Clinic plans to recruit physicians from the U.S. and/or Singaporeand local nurses over the next three to five years for this and other sites through-out Southeast Asia.

BELOW: The crowd at the Singapore Biennale 2006 Opening Party, which was launched by SM Goh,viewing 'Open Burble' by UK-based artist Usman Hague. This outdoor installation is made up of a60m high ladder-like wall of helium balloons each with several ultra-bright LEDs embedded within. RIGHT: Volunteers and party-goers interacted with ‘Open Burble’ by moving the tether which in turntriggered colour changes in the balloons.

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ABOVE: IMF Delegates experienced the cultural diversity of Singapore during the evening that laterclimaxed with a spectacular fireworks finale over Marina Bay.

Embrace Talent and Technology for a Secure Future: PM Lee

He told the audience of1,400, comprising Ministers,Members of Parliament, grass-roots leaders and ordinary Sin-gaporeans that the Singaporeeconomy was positioned to dowell against the backdrop of afavourable regional outlook. Headded that in order to sustain it,Singapore needed to have agrowing population with talentsin all fields.

“If we want our economy togrow, if we want to be stronginternationally, then we need agrowing population and not justnumbers but also talents in everyfield in Singapore,” said PM Lee.

In order to boost the popula-tion, more babies are needed,overseas Singaporeans need tobe engaged and there must be amore pro-active approach inattracting new immigrants. Tohelp overseas Singaporeans stayconnected to Singapore, PMLee said that the Overseas Sin-gaporeans Unit’s online portal(see story on next page) was set up

to keep these individuals updat-ed on what is happening in Sin-gapore. For immigrants, heannounced that a new Citizen-ship and Population Unit,which will be under the PrimeMinister’s Office, would pro-mote Singapore’s immigrationprogramme overseas.

“We must look for all kindsof talent. It’s not just numbers.You are looking for people withability, with drive, initiative andideas, and not just one kind ofinitiative and idea. Not justgraduates, professionals, bank-ers or lawyers, but all kinds,”said PM Lee.

PM Lee talked of the need toinfuse Singapore with new tal-ent, willing and able to con-tribute to the country. Singa-pore offers something unique,an Asian society with an Asianheritage, and yet is cosmopoli-tan; English is the common lan-guage but mother tongues arenot lost. He pointed out thatpeople from different cultureswere comfortable in Singapore,and while they became Singa-porean, they “retain what isunique about them and the linkswhich they have back to their owncultures, their own homelands,their own sense of identity”.

Acknowledging that someSingaporeans have reservationsabout bringing in new immi-

grants, PM Lee urged Singa-poreans to take a “big-heartedapproach” in accepting immi-grants, especially since our fore-fathers were immigrants as well.

Looking at the digital wave,PM Lee said that the Govern-ment would ensure that every-one in Singapore took fulladvantage of the digital oppor-tunities available with theschemes in place. The Info-comm Development Authorityhas plans to wire up the wholecountry with the goal of extend-ing high-speed fibre to everyhome and office. As for theyoung, IT will continue to be anintegral part of school life.

PM Lee noted the mediamust also evolve and find waysto engage the digital generation.Impressed by how Singapore-ans were already embracingtechnology through blogs andwebsites, PM Lee added thatthe Government would alsoadapt to the new media to get itsmessage out, incorporating pod-casts and vodcasts to connectwith people, but at the sametime remaining serious andresponsible. People must learnto distinguish what is true orfalse on the Internet. He saidthat the Government was opento criticism in the digital age,but it would not hesitate torespond to untruths that under-

That is what Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong envisioned for a Singapore that would do well

in a fast-changing world. Speaking at his third National Day Rally speech, which is similar to the

State of the Union address in the U.S., at the end of August, PM Lee cited three long-term chal-

lenges for Singapore — boosting the population, dealing with the pros and cons of the digital age,

and building “heartware” to root Singaporeans to home.

“Ours is an improbable nation.

We are a small country in

an uncertain world. We always

worry about the future, we never

take anything for granted.”

— PM Lee

“This is one of the most

exciting and hopeful times in

the history of Asia and in fact,

in the history of Singapore.

Many opportunities are

opening up but the demands

will be very different and

greater than what we have

faced before. We can meet

these challenges and succeed,

provided we have the courage

and spirit…. and make this a

land of opportunity and give

our children a bright future in

a rapidly changing world.”

—PM Lee

Photo: Singapore Press Holdings

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Overseas Singaporeans Portal Launched

Singapore has launched the Over-seas Singaporean Portal, which willhelp Singaporeans abroad keep upwith the latest news from home andto enable Singaporean communitiesoverseas to connect with one another,as well as with friends and familyback home.

Deputy Prime Minister Wong KanSeng, who officiated at the portal’slaunch in Shanghai, China, called itthe “single most important initiative”by the government’s Overseas Singa-porean Unit to link up more than140,000 Singaporean students andprofessionals around the world.He added: “This Singaporeandiaspora is rich in diversity, experi-ences, knowledge and networks…Itis important for us to remain engagedwith one another. In our diversity, wemust find a way to stay united.”

At an event in Berlin, severalhundred members of the estimated1,300-plus Singaporean communitythere welcomed the Portal, whichshould serve as a link betweenEurope and Singapore in bothdirections.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loongsaid in his National Day Rally speechthat Singapore had to accept the reali-ty that some of its best and brightestwas being sought after overseas.While Singapore is doing its best todraw immigrants, it also needs tomaintain strong links with overseasSingaporeans so that they could even-tually be persuaded to return home.

minded it.“By all means, if you

think the government isdoing something wrong,criticise us, criticise the gov-ernment, criticise the leadersbut be prepared to stand byyour criticisms, to back upwhat you say and let’s argueit out,” PM Lee pointed out.“Openness means beingprepared to be candid, to bedirect and to discuss very

serious things very seriously.”PM Lee also stressed the

importance of building andstrengthening the Singapore“heartware” at the same time.The young need to know theSingapore story, how we got towhere we are, and parents andgrandparents have a part to playin telling these stories. He calledfor Singaporeans to hold firm totheir cultural and moral valuesand to work hard at sharing

common experiences, develop-ing a national consensus and foryounger Singaporeans to giveback to society.

“We will be an open, inclu-sive society where we all have aplace where we can all con-tribute, we all care for one anoth-er as one people and one nation,whatever our race, religion orbackground,” said PM Lee,“These are ambitious goals but Ithink we can achieve them.”

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Sands Signs Development AgreementLas Vegas Sands, which recently signed the development agreement to build an integratedresort at Marina Bay in Singapore, already has been busy lining up meetings, incentives, con-ventions and exhibitions (MICE).

The Marina Bay Sands, a US$3.1 billion resort incorporating a casino, is scheduled to openin 2009 and will have more than 110,390 square meters of gross floor area for MICE, almostdoubling Singapore’s available convention space. When completed, the resort will comprisethree hotel towers capped by a sky garden and three waterfront domes.

Mr. Eric Bello, vice president of sales at Sands, said the company was looking at specific sec-tors for business, including pharmaceuticals, information technology, automotive and financeindustries.

Las Vegas Sands paid US$812 million to purchase the land and pay the necessary taxes feesfor the resort.

From left: Sand’s COO William Weidner, Singapore Tourism Board's CEO Lim Neo Chian and Sand's chairman Sheldon Adelson posing withthe scale model of the integrated resort at Marina Bay in Singapore during the signing ceremony.

Business BriefsThe California NanoSys-tems Institute at UCLASigns MOU with NanyangTechnological University

California NanoSystems Insti-tute (CNSI) has signed a Memoran-dum of Understanding (MOU) withSingapore’s Nanyang TechnologicalUniversity (NTU) to formalise anagreement to work together onnanoscale projects of joint interest.The CNSI and NTU have agreed toestablish a close cooperative relation-ship with a shared vision towardpromoting collaboration in the areasof education and academic research.The two institutes will develop jointprograms for information exchangeson research, deliver lectures andjointly hold seminars, symposia, andother conferences. In addition, theCNSI and NTU have agreed to collab-orate on developing research andfostering young researchers andPh.D. students in nanosystems.

Shell to Proceed withWorld-Scale IntegratedPetrochemicals Complexin Singapore

Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte)Ltd will build a new world-scaleethylene cracker on Bukom Island,Singapore.

Named Shell Eastern Petrochem-icals Complex (SEPC), constructionon the ethylene cracker is due tobegin later this year and start-up ofthe new and modified facilities antici-pated by 2009/ 2010.

“We are delighted to have thegreen light for this project and wouldlike to thank the Singaporean gov-ernment for its invaluable support.Shell has been in Singapore now for

over 100 years and our decision tobuild a new cracker represents the lat-est in a long line of investments in Sin-gapore. This project reaffirms our com-mitment to grow our business here toserve the fast growing petrochemicalsdemands of this region,” said Mr. TanEk Kia, Shell’s vice president for ven-tures and developments.

Singapore Tops Asia inCorporate Profit Growth

Singapore’s corporate results leadAsia with a 60 percent year-on-yeargrowth in net profits, according toHSBC Global Research. The analysisis based on information released bylisted companies for the April-Junequarter.

Led by financial, consumer andenergy sectors, Singapore-listed compa-nies posted strong earnings. TheSingapore Exchange was a stronglyperforming financial-related company,along with the DBS Group, UnitedOverseas Bank, and OCBC Bank.

The Singapore government said theeconomy could grow as much as 7.5percent in 2006, following 6.4 percentgrowth last year.

UNLV Opens First International Campus in Singapore

The University of Nevada, LasVegas (UNLV) has opened its firstinternational campus in Singapore.

The UNLV Singapore campus willoffer bachelor’s degree programs inhotel administration and hospitalitymanagement. UNLV Singapore is offer-ing the college’s upper division courses,which include hotel administration, hos-pitality marketing, food & beverage

As part of the global effort toprepare for a possible flu pan-demic, Singapore has undertak-en a number of activities to testthe island-nation’s readiness.

First, Singapore conducted atwo-day simulation of a flu pan-demic in a large-scale exerciseinvolving Changi InternationalAirport, a border crossing toMalaysia and several hospitals.More than 1,000 health workersand public servants from otheragencies took part, along withabout 500 volunteer “patients.”

Singapore’s Ministry ofHealth said the simulation,called “Exercise SparrowhawkII,” was designed to “test andfine-tune the Flu PandemicReadiness and Response Plan atvarious levels among key gov-ernment agencies, as well as thepublic and private healthcareinstitutions.”

In addition, Exercise Spar-rowhawk II will help the HealthMinistry plan how to dispenseTamiflu, the anti-viral drug fortreating avian flu.

“One of the most importantlessons we learned during

Singapore Conducts Flu Pandemic DrillSARS was that we had to segre-gate our patients into risk cate-gories: low risk and high risk,”said Dr. Tay Seow Yian, seniorconsultant at Tan Tock SengHospital, which served as thecentre for patients participatingin Exercise Sparrowhawk II.

Singapore health officialsalso told citizens to go to thefamily physician clinic nearestthem in the case of a flu pan-demic, as more than 1,500 gen-eral practitioners who run clin-ics across Singapore have beenpreparing for such a scenario.

Separate from ExerciseSparrowhawk II, Singaporebioscience company VeredusLaboratories has teamed upwith the U.S. Navy to set up thefirst on-board avian flu testinglaboratories. Veredus makesavian flu (H5N1) test kits,which have been approved bythe World Health Organization.The test kits will be stocked onthe U.S. Seventh Fleet’s flag-ship, the USS Blue Ridge, andthe aircraft carrier USS KittyHawk.

More than 1,000 health workers and public servants, and 500 volunteer “patients” took part inExercise Sparrowhawk.

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management and hotel law. Studentsmay also earn an executive master’sdegree in hospitality.

UNLV President David Ashley saidSingapore is an ideal setting for thecollege’s first international campus.“Singapore is thriving, and support fortourism there is second to none. UNLVstudents should really blossom in thatenvironment.”

BMW Design Sets UpSingapore Studio

A subsidiary of BMW, the globalluxury car company, has opened itsfirst Asian design studio in Singapore.

BMW DesignworksUSA’s Singa-pore studio is one of three worldwide— the other two studios are locatedin Los Angeles and Munich. The Singa-pore studio intends to tap into Asianculture and homegrown Asian talents.

“The client may want a specificview of Asia and the kind of productsthat are needed for this market andaccepted here may be a little bit differ-ent than in Europe and America,” saidMr. Nikolaus Von Saurma, director ofthe Singapore studio.

Singapore’s NationalHealthcare Group andIBM Collaborate on ITInfrastructure and ServicesOutsourcing

Singapore’s National HealthcareGroup (NHG) and IBM announced theiroutsourcing collaboration on managed ITinfrastructure services.

One of two public health clusters inSingapore set up by Singapore's Min-istry of Health, NHG owns and man-ages an integrated healthcare deliverynetwork and provides a complete rangeof healthcare services from outpatient

medical consultations and surgeries todiagnostic services.

The five-year outsourcing contractspans four hospitals, nine polyclinics,three specialty institutes and four busi-ness divisions, which collectively havemore than 11,000 employees. Thehospitals are Alexandra Hospital,National University Hospital, Tan TockSeng Hospital and Institute of MentalHealth/Woodbridge Hospital; the spe-cialty institutes are The Cancer Insti-tute, The Eye Institute and The HeartInstitute. IBM will also provide serveroperations and management servicesfor NHG's data centres and satellitedata centres, which reside at NHG'shospitals, polyclinics, medical centresand business divisions.

U.S. Companies Continue toInvest in Singapore

U.S. companies continue to investin Singapore as they seek to expandoperations for growing Asian markets.

Merck, Sharp & Dohme Technolo-gy Singapore (MSD), a wholly ownedsubsidiary of global pharmaceuticalgiant Merck, will undertake a US$62.5million expansion of its Singapore pro-duction facilities, bringing Merck’s totalinvestment in Singapore to more thanUS$625 million.

Privately-held biotech firm Codexis,which supplies technology and activepharmaceutical ingredients for drugcompanies, will raise US$40 million tobuild its first research and developmentfacility in Asia.

Marvell Technology Group, whichdevelops chips for iPods and wirelessdevices, will invest US$62.5 million tobuild a new regional headquarters, includ-ing a design centre, sales and technicalsupport.

World Bank: Singapore MostBusiness-Friendly Economy inthe World

Singapore has been rated as theworld’s most business-friendly economy inthe world, according to a report by theWorld Bank and its private-sector armInternational Finance Corporation.

World Bank senior economist Ms.Caralee McLiesch, a co-author of the“Doing Business 2007” report, saidSingapore has maintained a “very strongbusiness environment.”

New Zealand was ranked second andthe U.S. third. Overall, 175 economieswere evaluated on 10 key parametersthat included ease of starting a business,getting licences, sourcing staff, as well asenforcing contracts.

Intel Buys Stake inSingapore’s Anytime TV

Intel Corp., the world’s largest chipmaker, recently bought a significant stakein the Singapore-based entertainmentcompany, Anytime TV. Anytime, which isprivately held, specialises in providingHollywood movie content in the AsiaPacific and is partly owned by some ofthe top U.S. movie studios.

In addition, Singapore, which has ahigh broadband penetration rate, will beamong the first few countries in the Asia-Pacific region where Anytime TV willlaunch its video-on-demand over the Inter-net service.

“We look forward to working withAnytime…and (we) see the potential ofgreat digital entertainment experiencesfor consumers in selected Asia Pacificmarkets in the immediate future,” saidMr. Kevin Corbett, vice president of Intel’sDigital Home Group.

Singapore toIntroduceElectronic SealStandard

Singapore is leading aninternational initiative to intro-duce standardised electronicseals that will improve the secu-rity of container shippingaround the world.

Neptune Orient Lines, witha few local partners, has suc-cessfully completed a nine-month trial of the seals, whichuse a wireless technology thatmakes it fast and easy to check ifthey have been broken at anystage in the journey.

Technical specifications arecurrently being finalised, withan International Organisationfor Standardisation (ISO) stan-dard expected to be publishedby March.

The new standard comes ascountries, including the U.S.,move to boost the security ofcontainer shipping which couldbecome a target for terroristslooking to disrupt world trade.The U.S., for instance, grantsfaster Customs clearance forsealed containers.

Singapore Turns 41More than 55,000 spectators

packed the National Stadiumfor the last time to celebrate Sin-gapore’s 41st National Day. The33-year-old arena, which hadplayed host to numerous soccergames, rock stars and even the

Pope, would be torn down afterthe celebrations to make wayfor a new multi-million dollarsports hub.

The National Day Parade atthe stadium, with its highlysought-after tickets, did not failto disappoint as the sea of spec-tators decked in red and whitecheered enthusiastically, clappedtheir inflatable clappers andwaved their national flagsthroughout the evening. Thespectators came not only fromSingapore but also overseas, andthose who were not able to gettickets to the event watched iton television or over the Internet.

Thousands of performersentertained the crowd with theircolourful costumes and eye-catching props. Another crowdpleaser was the freefall displayby the Red Lion skydiving teamand the aerial display by the

F-16 fighter jets and Apachehelicopters.

Watching the Parade at theNational Stadium were theMembers of Parliament andCabinet Ministers includingPrime Minister Lee HsienLoong, Senior Minister GohChok Tong and Minister Men-tor Lee Kuan Yew. PresidentS.R. Nathan made his ceremo-nial drive around the track ofthe stadium to the cheers of thespectators.

As the evening of celebrationdrew to a close, the crowd wastreated to a fireworks displaythat lit the sky. The crowd tookhome memories of this specialevening as they look forward tothe Parade next year which willbe held on a floating platform inMarina Bay.

Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament joined in the National Day celebrations at the Pandang. Thousands of performers entertained the crowd with their colourful costumes and eye-catching props.

Photos: Singapore Press Holdings

U.S. Trade Representative Schwab Meets withPrime Minister Lee

During here recent trip toAsia, U.S. Trade RepresentativeAmbassador Susan Schwab metwith Singapore Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong. In their meet-ing, they discussed trade liberal-isation and possible ways tomove the WTO Doha Round oftrade negotiations forward.

Following her visit to Singa-pore, Ambassador Schwabattended the ASEAN EconomicMinisters meeting in Malaysia,where she signed a trade andinvestment pact on behalf of theU.S. with the Southeast Asiagroup. Specifically, ASEAN-U.S. Trade and InvestmentFramework Arrangement(TIFA) is viewed as a precursorto a full free-trade agreement.

Ambassador Schwab said theTIFA would boost economic tiesbetween the U.S. and ASEANwhich, with a population of 560million, was “one of the mostrapidly growing and dynamiceconomies in the world.”

“In a trading relationshipthat now constitutes US$150billion a year, ASEAN makesup the fourth largest tradingpartner with the United States.

…A TIFA is going to generatetrade and investment,” saidAmbassador Schwab.

Singapore-based Americanfirms also predicted the agree-ment will enhance opportunitiesfor business growth in SoutheastAsia. Mr. Nicholas de Boursac,executive director of the Ameri-can Chamber of Commerce inSingapore, said the TIFA willcomplement the existing free-trade agreement between theU.S. and Singapore.

“The U.S.-Singapore free-trade agreement has been ahuge success. We believe this(ASEAN-U.S.) agreement willalso lead to a similar increase intrade and investment and boostbusiness opportunities for Amer-

ican Chamber of Commercein Singapore members in theregion,” said Mr. de Boursac.

During the meeting inMalaysia, the ASEAN tradeministers also endorsed a planto speed the timetable for form-ing an economic union by fiveyears to 2015. ASEAN Secre-tary-General Ong Keng Yongsaid the trade ministers agreedto accelerate the plan in order“to make our respective econ-omies more efficient, more effec-tive to meet competition.”

GE to EstablishWater Technology

R&D Centre atthe National University of

Singapore

GE Water and Process Technologies, a division of Connecticut-based GeneralElectric, has signed an agreement to establish a research and development centrededicated to water technology at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The company will invest over US$81 million over the next 10 years in the centre,which is to be started next year and will hire top-tier researchers from around theworld. The centre is NUS’s first industrial research centre set up in partnership witha major multinational corporation, said NUS President Shih Choon Fong.

GE’s relationship with Singapore dates back to 1969 when it opened a numberof electronics manufacturing plants. These were followed by an aircraft enginemaintenance and repair facility, as well as a plastics plant.

The Red Lion skydiving team

U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Susan Schwab met with PM Lee during her visit to Singapore

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Pioneer Old Guard Cabinet Minister, Lim Kim San (1916-2006)

Mr. Lim Kim San, one ofthe founding fathers ofmodern Singapore, passedaway in July, just fourmonths short of his 90thbirthday. He is rememberedmost as the first chairman ofthe Housing and Develop-ment Board (HDB), fortackling Singapore’s press-ing housing problems in theearly 1960s and raising low-cost public flats in recordtime. Singapore’s homeownership rate was about 93percent in 2005 with about85 percent of the populationliving in HDB homes.

Born on November 30,1916, the young Mr. Limhelped his father run theirfamily’s petrol station busi-ness. Later, after he marriedMadam Pang Gek Kim, hehelped his father-in-law runthe latter’s banking busi-ness. He was introduced tothe People’s Action Party(PAP) and politics by hisuniversity friend, anotherfounding father of Singa-pore, Mr. Goh Keng Swee.

In 1960, Mr. Lim agreedto chair the newly set-upHDB. He served at thatpost for three years as a vol-unteer, without drawing acent. In 1963, he enteredpolitics and won his seat inParliament as a PAP candi-date. Before leaving politicsin early 1981, he hadhelmed seven ministriesincluding National Devel-opment, Finance, Educa-tion, Environment, Com-munications and Defence.Mr. Lim also had a career inthe corporate world whenhe served as chairman of thePort of Singapore Authority

from 1979 to 1994, steeringSingapore to become theworld’s busiest port, and asthe executive chairman andthen senior adviser of Sin-gapore Press Holdings from1988 to 2005.

In his condolence letterto Mr. Lim’s family, PrimeMinister Lee Hsien Loongsaid: “A practical andresourceful man with theability to get things done,Mr. Lim had an instinctivefeel for people and a keensense of business. Hebrought these strengths tothe team, and transformedour nation by providingSingaporeans with afford-able and high-quality publichousing.”

“Mr. Lim has lived anextraordinary and fulfillinglife, giving of himself to hisfriends, family and country.Singaporeans will remem-ber and honour him for hislifelong commitments andoutstanding contributionsto our nation. His passing isa deep loss to all of us.”

SingaporeMuslims aModel forOthers

Singapore’s Muslim commu-nity can serve as a model forMuslim minorities elsewhere,according to several Islamicscholars who recently visitedSingapore.

Dr. Louay Safi, who is fromthe U.S., said he was impressedby the commitment of Singa-pore’s Muslim leaders to inte-grate the community with thewider society.

Dr. Safi was the first on a listof progressive overseas scholarsto be invited by MUIS and theMuslim Converts’ Associationof Singapore for their new pro-gramme series to familiarise thecommunity with new ideaswithin Islam. He also called onMinister-in-charge of MuslimAffairs Yaacob Ibrahim and dis-cussed a range of issues, includ-ing how Muslims minorities canbetter integrate into the widersociety.

Similarly, the Muslim Coun-cil of Britain chairman IbrahimMogra said that he hopedBritish authorities and Muslimgroups could enjoy the samedegree of trust shown in Singa-pore between the governmentand organisations such as theIslamic Religious Council ofSingapore (MUIS).

Mr. Mogra and the otherBritish Muslim and politicalleaders who visited Singaporesaid they were struck by howgovernment and communityleaders worked together toensure Muslim traditions andinterests were maintained, evenas the economy and society inSingapore grew.

Singapore to Go Ahead with Liquefied Natural Gas ImportsSingapore will import liquefied natural gas (LNG) starting around 2012 in order to diversify its energy supplies

and ensure it is not over reliant on any single source.Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang said a request-for-proposal process for construction and operation of

an LNG receiving terminal for three million tonnes per annum — estimated to cost US$500 million — will bemade mid-or-late next year.

Today, about 80 percent of Singapore’s electricity is generated from natural gas, and the remainder from oil.Mr. Lim said Singapore’s LNG effort will help keep our energy sector competitive and will provide multiplier effects foreconomic growth.

“Economic growth will fuel more demand for electricity and more opportunities for the electricity and gas sectors.This is the self-prospering cycle that Singapore hopes to achieve,” Mr. Lim said.

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Singapore Establishes Academic Research Council

North Carolina’s prestigiousDuke University is teaming upwith the National University ofSingapore (NUS) to establishthe new Duke-NUS GraduateMedical School (GMS) in Sin-gapore.

The GMS is backed by aSingapore government commit-ment of US$312 million overthe next seven years, with thegoal of further developing theisland-nation as a biomedicaland medical hub. In line withDuke University’s tradition,GMS students will devote a fullyear to independent study andresearch projects of a basic sci-

Duke-NUS Graduate MedicalSchool to be Built

ence or clinical nature underclose faculty mentorship.

Duke Medical School isamong the top ten medicalschools in the U.S. It was num-ber six in the U.S. News andWorld Report’s 2006 rankings.Duke has contributed manyclinical discoveries and is one ofthe largest recipients of fundingfrom the U.S. National Insti-tutes of Health.

Professor R. Sanders Williams,dean of the Duke-NUS Gradu-ate School, said: “There is aterm in genetics called ‘hybrid-vigor,’ which means extrastrength by blending two genet-

ic strains. So we think there’sextra strength by blending peo-ple of diverse background intothe medical school. The criticalmessage is that we want to trainpioneers, people who are not outto practise excellent medicine, butto advance the future of medicine.That’s the watchword.”

In another developmentindicating that Singapore is ris-ing in the world of medicine andbiomedical research, a doctorfrom the National Cancer Cen-tre Singapore joined a selectclub of scientists by winningtwo awards from an American

society of cancer specialists forhis research. Dr. Tan Min-Hanis only the fifth doctor to betwice honoured with a MeritAward from the American Soci-ety of Clinical Oncology, whichhas handed out about 1,000such awards since 1986.

Also, the U.S.-based health-care accreditation service pro-vider Joint Commission Interna-tional (JCI) is opening an Asia-Pacific office in Singapore. TheJCI provides services in inter-national healthcare accredita-tion and quality improvement.

The Ministry of Education in Singapore has established anAcademic Research Council to develop research centres of interna-tional reputation for excellence.

The Council, chaired by Professor Robert Brown, presidentof Boston University, will build research centres at the NationalUniversity of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.

“The Academic Research Council’s goal is to implement thepolicies that have been put in place by the Singapore Ministry ofEducation and the Singapore National Research Foundation aboutdistributing through peer review research award systems theincreased level of support that is going to go to the universities forsupporting academic research,” said Professor Brown.

The Singapore government has set aside US$656 million foracademic research between 2006 and 2010. The Council expects tosee 80 to 100 projects submitted for consideration, and one or twoResearch Centre of Excellence proposals per year.

In addition to Professor Brown, the Council’s members includeseveral other U.S. academicians: Professor Randal Bryant, dean,School of Computing, Carnegie Mellon University; Professor Jean-Lou Chameau, provost and vice president for academic affairs, Geor-gia Institute of Technology; Dr. Alice Gast, vice president (research)and assistant provost, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Dr.Judith Swain, dean for translational medicine, University of Califor-nia, San Diego.

The future Duke-NUS GraduateMedical Schoolin Singapore.

(3rd and 4th from left) Professor R. Sanders Williams, Dean of the School of Medicine at Duke University, and Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan at the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.

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Increasing numbers of for-eign technopreneurs are settlingin Singapore, showing thatefforts to build an attractiveenvironment for research andcommercialisation appear to bepaying off, according to perma-nent secretary of SingaporeNational Research and Devel-opment Teo Ming Kian.

Mr. Teo said there are cur-rently 169 venture capital firmsfrom various parts of the worldmanaging some US$11 billionof funds and over 900 venture-backed high tech companies inSingapore.

Accordingly, Singapore —as well as all of Asia — is wit-nessing an exceptional growthin intellectual property (IP) fil-ings, as rising incomes and for-eign direct investments havemade the region a major marketand production centre.

That means Asia needs toprioritise two key IP policy

areas, according to Professor S.Jayakumar, Singapore’s Minis-ter for Law, who spoke at theinaugural Global Forum onIntellectual Property, whichwas held in Singapore.

“First, there is a need to fos-ter a culture of respect and pro-tection for IP,” ProfessorJayakumar said. He noted thatAsian governments have takenconcrete steps to improve IPprotection by strengthening leg-islation, enforcement and publiceducation efforts.

“Second, domestic compa-nies and research organisationsneed to be more savvy with IPso that they can better employto their advantage,” ProfessorJayakumar said.

He also explained that Sin-gapore is well-positioned toserve as the place for stakehold-ers from the U.S. and Europe toconnect and discuss IP issueswith those from Asia.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law, S.Jayakumar (centre) launching Singapore’s firstglobal forum on IP.

Mr. Shawn Ingkiriwang,a captain in the Republic ofSingapore Air Force (RSAF),recently graduated from theU.S. Air Force Academy inColorado not only with anaeronautical engineeringdegree, but also with thehonour for being the top mil-itary performer in his cohortof about 900 students.

The soon-to-be 24-year-old pilot trainee was the 14thSingaporean to be admittedinto the U.S. Air Force

Singaporean Tops Class at U.S. Air Force Academy

Academy, which trains airforce officers who earnundergraduate degree at thesame time. Upon returningto Singapore, Captain Ing-kiriwang was assigned to theRSAF’s Air Force SchoolAviation Wing. He hopes tobecome a fighter pilot.

Captain Ingkiriwang, theoldest son of an Indonesian-Chinese businessman fatherand a Singaporean mother,said he developed an interestin flying at the Singapore

Youth Flying Club, which hejoined while at St. AndrewsJunior College. Subsequent-ly, he had an internship withSingapore Airlines, whichsolidified his desire to have acareer as an air force pilot.

The head of RSAF’sAir Manpower Department,Colonel Tan Swee Bock,congratulated the captain forhaving “done the Air Forceand Singapore proud”.

Global Forum on IP Held in Singapore

Further boosting Singa-pore’s IP credentials, a newstudy by the National Universi-ty of Singapore Entrepreneur-ship Centre shows that Singa-pore patents ranked numberone in terms of quality in theAsia-Pacific.

Aiming high, Mr. Shawn Ingkiriwanggraduated as the top military performerin his class of 900 students.

Photo: Singapore Press Holdings

trade, defence, education,arts, culture and high-technology R&D.

On the regional front,the U.S. has been a “sta-bilising force” in theregion for the past dec-ades. Ambassador Chansaid: “Singapore has justtaken over coordinator-ship of the ASEAN-U.S.Dialogue, and we lookforward to working close-ly with the U.S. in thecoming three years to

advance ASEAN-U.S. relations.”Speaking of Singapore-U.S. ties, Mr. Kimmitt said that

“few bilateral relationships have been as important andmutually rewarding” and noted that both countries shared acommitment to good governance, the rule of law and openeconomic systems. He highlighted that the FTA between thetwo countries “has become an international example of ahigh-quality FTA” and bilateral trade had increased by about25 percent since 2003. Singapore companies own and oper-ate businesses in the U.S. that provide good jobs for Ameri-can workers and many American firms operate profitably inSingapore.

Before raising a toast to Singapore, Mr. Kimmitt said: “AsChina, India and other economies grow, the United Statescan and will continue to serve as a force for stability andgrowth in Asia. We can be assured that in that endeavour, asfor the past 41 years, we will have no more valued partnerthan Singapore.”

Singapore Embassy Celebrates National Day and SAF Day 2006c o n t i n u e d f r o m l a s t p a g e

MIT and Singapore to Create Research and Technology Centre

The Massachusetts Instituteof Technology (MIT) and theNational Research Foundationof Singapore will establish amajor new research centre inSingapore in 2007.

The Singapore-MIT Alliancefor Research and Technology(SMART) Centre will be MIT’sfirst such research centre of itskind outside of Cambridge,Massachusetts, and MIT’slargest international researchendeavor ever. The SMARTCentre will serve as an intellec-tual hub for interactionsbetween MIT and globalresearchers in Singapore on‘frontier’ areas of science andtechnology.

MIT President Susan Hock-field said the SMART Centrewould offer participants fromMIT and Singapore unique

opportunities to advanceresearch agendas that will shapethe development of science andtechnology in the comingdecades. “It also represents anew way for MIT to engage inresearch on topics of great soci-etal importance and presentsnew mechanisms for MIT’sengagement in this importantregion of the world,” she added.

The SMART Centre willallow faculty, researchers andgraduate students from MIT tocollaborate with their counter-parts from universities, poly-technics, research institutes andindustry in Singapore and inAsia. The Centre also will buildon the already-strong relation-ships between MIT and Singa-pore that began with the estab-lishment of the Singapore-MITAlliance in 1998.

^ PHOTO ABOVE: Newly appointed U.S. Financial Representative in Southeast Asia, Susan Baker (left), and Secretary Kimmitt listening to the opening remarks by Ambassador Chan

< PHOTO LEFT: Also present at the celebrationswere Under Secretary of Commerce and formerU.S. Ambassador to Singapore Franklin Lavin(right), seen here talking to CambodianAmbassador to the U.S. Ek Sereywath

Harvard Club of SingaporeLaunches New Visiting Professorship ProgrammeOn the occasion of its 37th anniversary, the Harvard Club of Singapore

announced that it is launching a visiting professorship programme,

which will bring Harvard professors to Singapore to interact with young

students.

The programme hopes to raise between US$31,000 and US$62,000

per year through donations and scholarships, with the Singapore Arts

School slated to be the first to benefit.

Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo, a Harvard Business

School alumnus, helped launch the programme. Photos: Singapore Embassy

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2006

Singapore

Singaporeis published by the Singapore Embassy, 3501 International Place, NW, Washington, DC 20008. All comments,inquiries and requests for additional information may be forwarded to

Ms. Lynette Cheng at (202) 537-3100 or faxed to (202) 537-0876.

Singapore Embassy, 3501 International Place, NW, Washington, DC 20008

Singapore Embassy Celebrates National Day and SAF Day 2006In a move to step up U.S.

engagement with SoutheastAsia, Deputy Treasury Secre-tary Robert Kimmitt announcedthat the U.S. is appointing sen-ior international economist Ms.Susan Baker as a financial rep-resentative in Southeast Asia,based in Singapore. He madethe announcement as the guest-of-honour at the Singapore

Embassy’s celebration of Singa-pore’s 41st National Day and38th Singapore Armed Forces(SAF) Day at the Willard Inter-continental Hotel this year withmore than 400 guests in atten-dance, including special guestSecretary of Veteran Affairs JimNicholson. Also joining in thecelebrations were Deputy U.S.Trade Representative Karan

Bhatia, Under Secretary ofCommerce and Former U.S.Ambassador to SingaporeFranklin Lavin, Under Secre-tary of Defence for Policy EricEdleman and other seniorAdministration officials.

The U.S. plans to have 18treasury attaches, of whichthere are now four, in keyregions around the world by theend of next year, to deal withissues to do with central banksand finance ministries. They arealso expected to liaise with jus-tice and security agencies. Mr.Kimmitt said that 37-year-old

Ms. Baker, who was also pres-ent at the celebrations, is a goodchoice for the post as she is an“accomplished financial expertwith years of Southeast Asiaexperience.” Ms Baker, whowill take up the post by Decem-ber, said that Singapore waschosen because it is “a globalcentre for capital markets.”

In her remarks, AmbassadorChan noted that this yearmarked the 40th anniversary ofthe establishment of diplomaticrelations between Singaporeand the U.S., and today Singa-pore-U.S. relations are strongerthan ever as evidenced by theU.S.-Singapore Free TradeAgreement (FTA) and theStrategic Framework Agree-ment. Both nations also workclosely in many areas including

c o n t i n u e d o n p r e v i o u s p a g e ➤

From Right: Deputy Treasury Secretary RobertKimmitt, Ambassador Chan Heng Chee, Secretaryof Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson and Singa-pore’s Defence Attache BG Richard Lim, obligingphotographers at the National Day and Singa-pore Armed Forces Day celebrations at theWillard Intercontinental Hotel

Photo: Singapore Embassy