Governor Ismeth, Head of the Kepri local parliament, members of the local parliament, muspida, Mayor of Batam, Fellow Singaporeans: those residing in Batam and also those who have travelled from Singapore for this evening's function.
Thank you for joining us in celebrating Singapore's 42nd National Day. This is a month of celebrations. ASEAN celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this month. Indonesia has also recently celebrated Independence Day. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the people and the government of Indonesia on your 62nd Independence Day.
Indonesia - Singapore relations remain strong and broad-based. Our bilateral cooperation extends to many areas. We are working with Kepri to establish Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Batam, Bintan and Karimun. In Jambi, Singapore helped develop a haze prevention Master Plan. In Aceh, we assisted in disaster-relief operations in the immediate aftermath of the 2004 Tsunami, and contributed to the international reconstruction efforts thereafter. Singapore had rebuilt schools, orphanages and constructed a pier in Meulaboh to replace the jetty that was destroyed by the tsunami. In Jakarta, the Singapore community got together earlier this year to provide relief assistance to the flood victims. Singapore also assisted in the Search and Rescue operations for the Adam Air flight which crashed off the coast of Sulawasi.
Relations between Kepri and Singapore are similarly multifaceted. There is continuing cooperation among our health officials to prevent the spread of Avian Influenza. Singapore has provided equipment and training to Kepri health officials in combating Avian Influenza. Singapore has also provided various types of training to Kepri officials through our Singapore Cooperation Programme. In 2006 alone, we trained 92 officials from KEPRI in courses ranging from investment to English language. Our schools, civic and social organisations also conduct regular exchange visits. One of our most active NGOs, the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) worked with the Yayasan Keluarga Batam last year to improve the library of a local primary school, SD Kartini II. After a visit in August 2006 to find out the needs of the school, SIF volunteers prepared and coordinated a multifaceted effort that included the donation of books, the refurbishment of the library, as well as organising story-telling sessions and workshops for the students and teachers at SD Kartini II. SIF is currently undertaking another project with the Yayasan to enhance the skills level of the local teachers. Let me add that the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) is not just active in Kepri. In fact, SIF just celebrated 15 years of friendship with Indonesia. Over the years, SIF had sent many teams of Singapore volunteers to diverse communities across Indonesia to collaborate on a wide range of projects, including running medical courses, IT training, and teaching of languages.
Kepri - Singapore relations continue to flourish and grow. Every day, several thousand Singaporeans travel between Kepri and Singapore for both work and leisure. Singapore is also the largest foreign investor in Kepri. In June last year, Singapore's economic ties with Kepri were enhanced with the signing of the Framework Agreement to establish the SEZ. Some progress have been made. However, tough decisions are still needed to ensure legal certainty and stable labour relations to attract greater numbers of foreign investors.
I would like to encourage more of 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 Ismeth and the Kepri government for the warm hospitality extended to me during this visit. I wish you all a pleasant evening ahead.
Thank you.
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