Address by Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed at the Singapore National Day Reception in Pekanbaru, 14 August 2007

Gubernur Riau Bapak Rusli Zainal berserta
Ibu Septina yang saya hormati

Yang terhormat, Pak Chaidir, Ketua DPRD,
Provinsi Riau

Yang terhormat, para Anggota Muspida dan
para Anggota DPRD, Provinsi Riau

Yang terhormat, Pak Herman Abdullah,
Wali Kota Pekanbaru

Yang terhormat para tamu sekalian

Fellow Singaporeans

Thank you for joining us in celebrating Singapore's 42nd National Day. This is a month of celebrations. ASEAN just celebrated its 40th anniversary. I understand Riau celebrated its 50th Anniversary on 9 Aug and you will be celebrating Indonesia's Independence Day on 17 Aug. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Riau Government and the people of Riau on their Golden Anniversary and the forthcoming Independence Day.

I am pleased to be back in Pekanbaru. I was here in May 2003 and I am happy to observe the developments that have taken place since then. You now have new hotels, malls, a golf course and a number of government buildings under construction. These developments reflect the vibrancy of Pekanbaru and Riau's strategic role in Sumatra.

Indonesia - Singapore relations remain firm. Our bilateral relations are strong. This is because of our historical and deep rooted relationship. Our bilateral cooperation extends to many areas. We are working with Kepri on the Special Economic Zone. In Jambi, Singapore has helped develop a Master Plan to prevent forest fires. In Aceh, we assisted in disaster-relief operations, including rebuilding schools, orphanages and a pier in Meulaboh to replace the jetty that was destroyed by the tsunami. For example, the Singapore International Foundation has helped to build the Fajar Hidayat school in Aceh, which is expected to be officially opened this November. Singapore's next phase of assistance in Aceh is the rebuilding of the Meulaboh General Hospital. In Jakarta, the Singapore community there got together to provide relief assistance to the flood victims in February this year. Singapore also assisted in the Search and Rescue operations for the Adam Air flight which crashed off the coast of Sulawesi in January.

Singapore and Riau continue to enjoy warm and close relations. In Pekanbaru, Singapore is continuing with its programme to enhance the skills level of the Riau officials, through training courses in Singapore. In early May this year, Riau organised a trade and investment forum in Singapore, led by Governor Rusli Zainal. During his visit, Pak Rusli met up with Foreign Minister George Yeo. I also had the opportunity of meeting up with Pak Rusli at the Malay Heritage Centre during his visit to Singapore. I was very happy that Pak Rusli and his delegation toured the Malay Heritage Centre Museum. I am also glad that the General Manager of the Malay Heritage Centre, Mr Eddy Hassan, is also in my delegation today and we hope to establish relations with the Sang Nila Tama Museum in Pekanbaru to facilitate cooperation.

I understand the Consulate has been active in assisting the local community. In 2005, the Consulate raised funds to build shelters for the mentally handicapped at the sanatorium at Tenayan Raya. Late last year, working together with the Singapore National Library, the Consulate donated 1000 books to Riau's "Million Books Programme." The aim of the programme was to raise the reading standards of the needy children in this Province. In July this year, the Consulate, working together with the Singapore Cooperation Programme Alumni in Pekanbaru, organised a blood donation drive to help the Red Cross stock up its supply. I would like to encourage such interactions, as only through these activities can we enhance the social and people-to-people ties. In turn this would generate goodwill and trust which would provide a strong foundation to further develop our bilateral relationship.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Pak Rusli and the Riau government for the warm hospitality extended to me and my wife and for making this visit a special one.

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