Singapore Archives - Page 4 of 27

Tarun Das Receives Honorary Citizenship from Singapore

17Jan

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Tarun Das Receives Honorary Citizenship from Singapore

Singapore awarded the Honorary Citizen Award to Tarun Das, former CII Director General, for his pivotal role in enhancing Singapore-India relations. His contributions include initiating economic collaborations, the India-Singapore Strategic Dialogue, and fostering youth exchanges. Singapore has awarded its highest honor for non-citizens, the Honorary Citizen Award, to Tarun Das, former Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in recognition of his significant contributions to strengthening Singapore-India relations. A Legacy of Strengthening Bilateral TiesTarun Das has been instrumental in fostering robust economic and people-to-people connections between Singapore and India over several decades. In 1993, he led a delegation of Indian industrialists to Sin...

Singapore: Cruel Death Penalty Policy Maintained by New Leader

17Jan

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Singapore: Cruel Death Penalty Policy Maintained by New Leader

Crackdown on Government Critics, Peaceful Protesters Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who took office in May 2024, has maintained the city-state’s harsh death penalty policies and used repressive laws to crack down on government critics and peaceful protesters, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2025. The authorities have harassed and prosecuted anti-death penalty activists, sought new laws to limit appeals of death sentences, and imposed executions for drug-related offenses in violation of international law. For the 546-page world report, in its 35th edition, Human Rights Watch reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In much of the world, Executive Director Tirana Hassan writes in her introductory

The new prime minister of Singapore is embroiled in traditional politics.

15Jan

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

The new prime minister of Singapore is embroiled in traditional politics.

In 2024, Singapore's political landscape saw significant changes as after two decades as prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong handed power to Lawrence Wong. While this transition brought positive change, the year was marked by controversy. S Iswaran's corruption conviction, Cabinet ministers suing Bloomberg over property reporting and the ongoing Lee family feud dominated headlines. Although Wong has tried to establish a semblance of independence, he faces challenges in consolidating his leadership while Lee remains in Cabinet as Senior Minister. For Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP) government, the best news of 2024 came in May, when then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong (72) handed the premiership to his handpicked successor, Lawrence Wong (then 51). Lee’s succession plans had

When China looks to Southeast Asia, a C919 manufacturer opens a business in Singapore.

31Dec

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

When China looks to Southeast Asia, a C919 manufacturer opens a business in Singapore.

China's leading aircraft manufacturer opened an Asia-Pacific office in Singapore this week, marking a significant step towards challenging Boeing and Airbus in the international aviation market. It is hoped the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) office would become a launch pad for China's home-grown C919 narrowbody airliner and its ARJ21 regional jet in Southeast Asia. Also on Tuesday, an ARJ21 belonging to Indonesian airline TransNusa completed its maiden 2,700 kilometre flight between Manado in Indonesia and the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, which marked the longest commercial route for China's home-grown regional aircraft.TransNusa is the first overseas airline to operate the ARJ21, with three in service on routes between Indonesian islands, as well as Kuala ...

On NYE, the China-Singapore free trade agreement update process is scheduled to begin.

31Dec

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

On NYE, the China-Singapore free trade agreement update process is scheduled to begin.

SINGAPORE: China’s Ministry of Commerce has announced that the Further Upgrade Protocol for the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA) will officially take effect on Dec 31, 2024. The upgraded agreement aims to deepen economic ties by significantly expanding market access and fostering cooperation in emerging sectors. The protocol aligns with high-standard international economic and trade principles, providing enhanced opportunities in the services trade and investment sectors between the two nations, according to a ministry statement released on Monday. China and Singapore have pledged greater openness in their services and investment markets using a “negative list” approach. This model specifies the sectors where restrictions remain, allowing all other areas to be open fo

2024 is over: The year’s top political headlines and what comes next

30Dec

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

2024 is over: The year’s top political headlines and what comes next

SINGAPORE – A once-in-a-generation handover of power, court cases involving two prominent politicians, and a refresh by the ruling party ahead of its 70th anniversary – it was an eventful year for politics here, even as a much-anticipated general election has to wait for the new year. Here are six of the top political stories of 2024, and what can be expected in 2025: 4G leadership handoverMr Lawrence Wong was sworn in as Singapore’s fourth prime minister on May 15, with the transition to the fourth-generation (4G) leadership completed on Dec 4 when he was elected secretary-general of the People’s Action Party (PAP) by the party’s top body. He named his first Cabinet on May 13 with key portfolios largely unchanged, save the appointment of Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim

After his empire failed, a Singaporean oil tycoon was declared bankrupt.

29Dec

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

After his empire failed, a Singaporean oil tycoon was declared bankrupt.

Former tycoon Lim Oon Kuin has been declared bankrupt in Singapore, following the collapse of his oil trading empire. The name of the founder of Hin Leong Trading Pte and his children Lim Huey Ching and Lim Chee Meng were listed as having been issued a bankruptcy order on Dec 19, the government gazette showed. The younger Lims were both directors at the company. Leow Quek Shiong and Seah Roh Lin of BDO Advisory Pte Ltd are the trustees, according to the gazette.At its peak, Hin Leong traded a range of oil products, made lubricants and operated loading terminals and storage facilities. But the downfall of the man widely known as OK Lim came in 2020, as Covid-19 sent oil prices into freefall. Hin Leong was accused of hiding more than $800 million in losses and leaving more than 20 ...

24Dec

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

2024 is over: The year’s top political headlines and what comes next

A once-in-a-generation handover of power, court cases involving two prominent politicians, and a refresh by the ruling party ahead of its 70th anniversary – it was an eventful year for politics here, even as a much-anticipated general election has to wait for the new year. Here are six of the top political stories of 2024, and what can be expected in 2025: 4G leadership handoverMr Lawrence Wong was sworn in as Singapore’s fourth prime minister on May 15, with the transition to the fourth-generation (4G) leadership completed on Dec 4 when he was elected secretary-general of the People’s Action Party (PAP) by the party’s top body. He named his first Cabinet on May 13 with key portfolios largely unchanged, save the appointment of Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong to dep

The government of Singapore is committed to maintaining hawker centers.

19Dec

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

The government of Singapore is committed to maintaining hawker centers.

Welfare is “a dirty word” in Singapore—or so a past prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, once approvingly declared. What the city-state prizes, he explained, was not handouts, but self-reliance. Workers do not receive a state pension, but pay instead into individual retirement accounts. Health care, too, must be purchased from mandatory savings, not dispensed by a spendthrift state. There is no minimum wage, and no subsidies for staples such as rice or electricity. Oddly, though, there is one aspect of everyday life that almost no other governments get involved in but that the Singaporean authorities are not willing to leave to the vicissitudes of the market: eating out.

Public scrutiny and rising voter expectations are impeding Singapore political parties’ efforts to recruit new members.

6Dec

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Public scrutiny and rising voter expectations are impeding Singapore political parties’ efforts to recruit new members.

As an undergraduate in 2011, Dr Luqman Akasyah was asked a major question that could have changed the trajectory of his life: Would he consider becoming a politician? That was the first time that the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) had approached him to consider joining politics. He said no then and has continued saying no to the party despite repeated overtures. “As an introvert, I really can't see myself all up in the public's eye. I also value my and my family’s privacy,” the commerce strategic projects manager, now aged 37, said. “I'm pretty firm about it because in politics, somehow everything you do is just wrong in the public's eye.” What reinforced his decision was his experience volunteering for President Tharman Shanmugaratnam's presidential election campaign last