SINGAPORE BRIEFING February 2005

News this month

Job well done

Although the Boxing Day tsunami largely passed over Singapore, its armed forces have spent January repairing the damage in Indonesia. Singapore's main contingent arrived home from Indonesia's Aceh province on January 22nd, having concentrated their efforts in Meulaboh, a west-coast town that sustained major damage. The several hundred soldiers comprised Singapore's largest-ever overseas deployment. They won nearly universal praise, backed as they were by intimate knowledge of (and help from) the Indonesian army, good language skills and plenty of high-tech muscle. Margereta Wahlstrom, the United Nations' special co-ordinator for humanitarian assistance, said that she was impressed by Singapore's professional response.

No free radicals

Singapore's internal security services claim to be the world's first to crack down on Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an Indonesia-based radical Muslim group allegedly linked to al Qaeda. Officials say the group is bent on overthrowing secular governments across South-East Asia. Even with several dozen alleged JI members already locked up without trial, Singapore's ministry of home affairs said on January 13th that the crackdown will continue.

The ministry said that one man, Anis bin Mohamed Mansor, a 48-year-old former carpenter, had been detained on February 9th 2004 for trying to source weapons for JI. Another, Mohamad Agus bin Ahmad Selani, was rearrested for contacting a group of Filipino Islamic radicals, thus violating the conditions of his release. Mohamad Aslam bin Yar Ali Khan had his detention order extended for two years this month, but a fourth man, Othman bin Mohamed, was freed after he was deemed to be no longer a threat. Singapore's Internal Security Act, inherited from the British, allows unlimited detention without trial.

Trading up

Singapore's relatively small, open economy thrives or falters with the fortunes of the global economy, especially global trade volumes. Officials from International Enterprise (IE), Singapore's trade-promotion arm, said on January 17th that the country's total trade hit record levels in 2004, with all major sectors of the economy doing well. 2005 is expected to be a bit less rosy, but Lee Yi Shyan, IE's chief executive, said he was “cautiously optimistic”.

Overall domestic growth was brisk, at 8.1%. Singapore's non-oil exports surged 17% in 2004, to S$132.8 billion ($81.3 billion). Total trade grew 22%, to a record S$580 billion. Over the coming year, officials hope to see total trade grow between 7-9%, while non-oil exports could rise by as much as 8%.

Neighbourly

Singapore and Malaysia, its large northern neighbour, continue to improve their often fractious relationship. Bitter squabbles seem a thing of the past thanks to their new leaders, particularly Malaysia's mild-mannered Abdullah Badawi. The latest sign of warming ties came on January 14th, when both countries agreed to end a legal row over Singapore's reclamation efforts in the Straits of Johor, which separates the two countries.

Malaysia had taken its case to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, complaining that they should have been consulted, and that the work will have deleterious environmental effects. Land-poor Singapore countered that it needs the new space and that there was no reason to consult Malaysia. Under the agreement, the two sides (which were once a single country in the 1960s) agreed that the strait is “a shared water body”, and recognised that they have a common interest in protecting the local environment and ensuring the safety of navigation. Many issues between the countries remain unresolved, however, including Malaysia's desire to build a bridge over the strait and the fate of Malaysian-owned derelict land in Singapore.

Lions roar

To say that Singapore's national football squad has room for improvement is a polite understatement. Ranked 104th (out of 205) by FIFA, football's global governing body, the Lions spend a lot more time plucking the ball from their own net than gathering trophies. But on January 16th, something unusual happened: urged on by 55,000 cheering hometown spectators, Singapore dispatched Indonesia 2-1 to claim victory in the second leg of the Tiger Cup final, a biennial South-East Asian tournament, making them the region's top team.
Much credit has gone to Raddy Avramovic, the Montenegrin coach who has called Singapore's shots since July 2003. Although he presided over an 11-month losing streak that ended in September 2004, his approach turned out well in the end. “Nobody was giving us any chance”, he said after the game. “I must thank all the players for their hard work”.

Catch if you can

February 2005

Chinese New Year

February 8th-10th 2005

This is the most important festival in the Chinese calendar, celebrated throughout Asia and in many western cities as well. On February 8th, the clock ticks over from the Year of the Monkey to the Year of the Rooster; those born in the latter, which occurs once every dozen years, are supposed to be diligent and resolute.

The city-state all but shuts down during this period, with public holidays on February 9th and 10th, so don't expect to conduct business until February 11th. The predictable centre of celebrations is Chinatown, which will host a street bazaar with lacquered duck, barbecued sweet meats, assorted biscuits and other traditional gifts and foodstuffs. People come from all over the island to mingle and gorge themselves.

At venues all over Singapore; for the main festivities head for the Chinatown MRT.