MFA Press Statement: Visit of Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo to Meulaboh and Medan from 1 - 2 July 2010

Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo will visit Meulaboh and Medan from 1 - 2 July 2010. Minister Yeo will be accompanied by Chairman of the Singapore Red Cross Society Tee Tua Ba, as well as officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In Meulaboh, Minister Yeo will officiate at the handover ceremony of the Cut Nyak Dhien Meulaboh General Hospital. Minister Yeo will also be joined by Indonesian Minister for National Development Planning Armida Alisjahbana, Governor of Aceh Irwandi Yusuf, Regent of West Aceh Ramli MS and other Indonesian officials.

The rebuilding of the Meulaboh General Hospital, in partnership with the Singapore Red Cross Society and Temasek Holdings, is part of the Singapore Government's reconstruction assistance package to the tsunami-affected region of Aceh. The rebuilt hospital will feature 146 beds with improved facilities, such as a radiology department and two operating theatres, and will serve the population of West and South Aceh.

Singapore launched the first of its post-tsunami reconstruction projects in Aceh in June 2005 during the ground-breaking of the construction of the Meulaboh concrete pier. This was followed by other projects, such as the building of the Babussalam School, the Fajah Hidayah Boarding School and the Samatiga Orphanage, and the refurbishment of the Muhammadiyah School and Orphanages. The rebuilding of the Meulaboh General Hospital represents the last major project as part of the US$10 million pledged by the Singapore Government for the reconstruction efforts in the tsunami-affected countries of Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

In Medan, Minister Yeo will meet with prominent business leaders.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
1 JULY 2010