12 Jan 2005
MFA PRESS RELEASE
12/01/2005
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attended the Special ASEAN Leaders' Meeting on the Aftermath of Earthquake and Tsunami in Jakarta on 6 January 2005
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attended the Special ASEAN Leaders' Meeting on the Aftermath of Earthquake and Tsunami in Jakarta on 6 January 2005. He was accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo, Minister for Defence RADM (NS) Teo Chee Hean, Acting Second Minister for Finance and Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim and senior officials. Prime Minister Lee announced at the Special ASEAN Leaders' Meeting in Jakarta that Singapore would make an additional contribution of US$10 million towards reconstruction efforts in the affected countries.
Singapore also proposed the UN Secretary General appoint a Special Representative with primary responsibility for coordinating international relief efforts for the affected countries and to work with financial institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to mobilise new and additional resources for reconstruction. The Special Representative should work closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and national public health authorities to address the immediate and longer term public health challenges.
The leaders of 22 countries, the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and nine international organisations participated in this special meeting. They expressed their commitment to strengthen emergency relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and prevention efforts including the establishment of a Regional Tsunami Early Warning Center on the Indian Ocean and the Southeast Asian region.