Koh Soo Keong appointed as new Chairman of Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority

Channel NewsAsia
31 March 2008

SINGAPORE: Mr Koh Soo Keong will be taking over as the new Chairman of the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) come 1 April.

Currently AVA's Deputy Chairman, Mr Koh will be succeeding the current and founding Chairman Mr Koh Poh Tiong.

Mr Koh Poh Tiong has been AVA's Chairman since April 2000.

He helped to guide the growth and development of AVA and established it as the national authority for food safety.

Under Mr Koh Poh Tiong's leadership, AVA adopted a risk management approach to achieve diversification in food supply sources.

Its food safety management system was also strengthened by the upgrading its professional and diagnostic capabilities.

Mr Koh also helped AVA formulate strategies to enhance the resilience of Singapore's food supply.

Minister for National Development, Mah Bow Tan, said: "I deeply appreciate Mr Koh Poh Tiong's significant contributions, as the first Chairman of AVA, in guiding the development of AVA into a recognised and credible authority on food safety and veterinary services." - CNA/vm

Orchard Road sees red

By Nazry Bahrawi, TODAY
21 November 2007

SINGAPORE: They had played by the rules, holding gatherings at indoor venues to express solidarity with their countrymen back home. And on Tuesday, they had planned to release doves in a symbolic gesture of peace.

But the gameplan for the Myanmar community here changed after United Nations' special envoy Ibrahim Gamabari's briefing to the East Asia Summit was called off - and on Tuesday, they took to the streets without a police permit.

Thirty-five in all - students, professionals and workers - donned red T-shirts and lined up in rows of three, carrying flyers and a banner, outside Starbucks Coffee at Orchard Parade Hotel for nearly 20 minutes.

Police arrived and after a five-minute exchange with the protesters, the latter, who remained smiling and polite, removed their T-shirts and dispersed - telling the media: "This is a peaceful protest, we don't want any trouble."

Their one request to Singapore: Arrange a session with Mr Gambari, so they could get an update on Myanmar.

On Monday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said Singapore as ASEAN chair could "facilitate Mr Gambari's meeting with interested parties".

Earlier in the day at Orange Grove Road, near summit venue Shangri-La Hotel, four members of SG Human Rights tried to hand over a greeting card bearing some 40 signatures and a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi to ASEAN leaders.

They were barred by police but after some discussion, it was agreed the group would disperse if a member of the ASEAN Secretariat came out to receive their card. This took place without incident.

Others went beyond theatrics.

At a press conference, regional civil society coalition Sapa Working Group on ASEAN said, the grouping's acceding to Myanmar's request to scrap Mr Gambari's briefing was "a slap" to ASEAN and the hosts.

But the group stressed that the "drama and activity" of street protests should not distract from what is important: The contents of the ASEAN Charter.

The Sapa Working Group plans to submit its alternative ASEAN Peoples' Charter - a code of human rights principles - to the ASEAN secretariat at the next year's Bangkok summit.

Meanwhile, two members of the Singapore Democratic Party were escorted away from Shangri-La Hotel after repeated warnings not to enter the restricted area. One of them, Ms Chee Siok Chin, the sister of the party's secretary-general Chee Soon Juan, told police she had planned to have dinner at the hotel. - TODAY/ym

Singapore will do its part to mitigate effects of climate change: PM Lee

By Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia
03 November 2007

SINGAPORE : Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says Singapore will do its part to mitigate climate change but the country cannot afford to do so at the cost of its economic growth.

Global warming has caused extreme weather events like major floods and rising sea levels.

And the situation will worsen if countries do nothing.

Speaking at the launch of the year-long Clean and Green Singapore campaign, Mr Lee says no country can solve this problem on its own but must tackle it collectively.

He says countries are taking this seriously and in ASEAN, this is reflected by the pledge put in recent meetings and will be discussed at the upcoming summit.

Singapore, he adds, will do its part.

But Mr Lee says the country must also be practical and recognise that our direct impact as a small country is limited.

He says: "We contribute less than 0.2 percent of all the carbon emission worldwide...so what we do in Singapore is not going to change the world. And just to give you a sense of it, even if Singapore is to shut down the whole of Singapore, no lights, no fans, no air cons, no cars, buses, MRT, nothing, the amount of carbon saved not generated will be the same as three days of energy consumption in China. So it is not possible for us to solve this problem on our own but we cannot say therefore we will ignore it. We will do our fair share as part of the global effort to reduce greenhouse gases."

Mr Lee says when the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emission expires in 2012, Singapore will contribute to that.

But the country also has to safeguard its national interests.

This is because it is totally dependent on fossil fuels, with no feasible alternative and it is a major manufacturing base for MNCs, whose products are exported.

Also, Singapore is a major air and sea hub.

Mr Lee says: "Every year we have 25 million containers ship through Singapore, ships taking bunker fuels in Singapore. These are not Singapore's consumption, they are international but happens to upload in Singapore and we have to account for this fairly. If there's a treaty, we have to ensure that it's not all put on our account because that's not fair and doesn't make sense."

Mr Lee says that to prepare for the future, Singapore will have to start now, and redouble efforts to conserve energy, and get used to less wasteful habits.

A Ministerial Committee on Climate change has also been set up to coordinate Singapore's efforts.

And the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has also announced plans to push for greater energy efficiency in Singapore.

One way is to make buildings here more energy efficient.

Households can also make a difference by taking simple and effective measures, such as choosing energy efficient appliances and also switch to energy-saving light bulbs. - CNA/ch

S'pore and M'sia discuss environmental issues

Aug 25 2007 (TODAY)

The next emergency response exercise for chemical spills at the
Malaysia-Singapore Second Crossing will be held by Singapore, tentatively
in November.

The Republic will also organise the first table-top emergency response
exercise at the East Johor Straits, tentatively in the first quarter of
next year.

Cooperation will also extend to preventing oil spills in the straits.
These were some issues discussed at the Annual Exchange of Visits between
the environment ministries of Singapore and Malaysia.

Singapore's Minister Yaacob Ibrahim visited Malaysia on Aug 24 and 25 at
the invitation of his counterpart, Dr Azmi Khalid. Both were accompanied
by senior officials.

The progress of work carried out by the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee
on the Environment was reviewed, and issues discussed included the
regional transboundary haze and climate change. Both sides agreed to share
information - for instance, where it comes to mitigating climate change,
by focusing on energy efficiency and joint training programmes for
capacity-building.

新马加强环境课题合作

25 August 2007 (Lianhe Zaobao)

新加坡将同马来西亚在能力建设(capacity building)方面的培训进行合作，以便更有效地使用能源。

　　环境及水源部长雅国博士昨天应邀走访马来西亚，同该国天然资源与环境部长阿兹米卡立会谈，讨论新马在环境方面的合作，以及针对区域环境课题交换意见。这包括：国界的区域烟雾问题、车辆废气排放控制、士古来集水区的污染、柔佛海峡的水质、应付化学物质污染的紧急应对措施等课题、气候变化以及新加坡环境学院和马来西亚环境学院之间的培训合作。

　　在气候问题上，新马两国都同意气候变化已经成为区域和国际的重要课题，双方同意分享缓和气候变化的资讯和所研究的解决方案。双方将把重点放在能源效益和能力建设的联合培训计划上。

　　两位部长举行会谈后，我国环境及水源部和马国天然资源与环境部联合发表文告，宣布会谈中双方商讨的内容。

　　除了气候问题，两国也同意分享同印尼合作处理烟雾问题的经验，双方重申通过部长级指导委员会加强应对区域烟雾问题的重要性。

　　陪同雅国出访的包括环境及水源部高级政务次长许连碹博士，以及环境及水源部、国家环境局和公用事业局的官员。

　　这是新马两国环境部的第21次常年互访活动。

　　雅国博士一行人昨天也在会谈后参加了两国环境部联合举行的竞技友谊赛。这项比赛让双方官员能够加强联系，培养友谊。

Singapore's competitiveness among issues to be raised in Parliament

24 August 2007 (CNA)

SINGAPORE : Issues concerning Singapore's competitiveness in the light of rising prices and property rentals will kick off question time when Parliament sits on Monday.

Members of Parliament are also concerned about what is being done to reduce divorce rates and if the government will consider raising the S$150 child care subsidy, which was last revised in 1995.

Other issues include the state of the country's recycling efforts and updates on training front-line staff for medical emergencies.

Seven bills will be introduced.

One of them is the Land Titles (Strata) (Amendment) Bill, which will be closely watched in the light of the recent en-bloc sales fever.

Five bills have been tabled for Parliament approval, including the Accounting Standards Bill and the Central Provident Fund (Amendment) Bill. - CNA/ms

APEC meeting to address broad range of issues

By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia
20 August 2007

Trade liberalisation and trans-border threats including terrorism and pandemic diseases are some of the issues that will top the agenda at this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit.

Speaking ahead of the September meeting in Sydney, the APEC Secretariat says the 21 leaders from APEC economies are expected to call for continuing support for the next round of WTO Doha round of talks.

The Doha Round has come to a standstill due to differences between some countries on eliminating trade barriers to agricultural produce and manufactured goods.

WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy is also scheduled to attend the APEC meeting in Sydney.

The Secretariat says there will be discussions on how to accelerate the process of regional economic integration and structural reforms.

Climate change is expected to be another major topic at the summit.

Colin Heseltine, Executive Director, APEC Secretariat, says: "APEC for some years, especially through its energy working groups, has had climate change on its agenda, issues on clean development, sustainable development and energy security and all these issues have of course touched on the issue of climate change.

"I think what is happening this year, because of the global concern, the global interest in climate change, you are seeing APEC itself, APEC leaders in particular,...giving quite high priority to this issue." - CNA/ch

Hearing date set for S'pore, Msia

Aug 21 2007 (TODAY)

The overlapping claims by Singapore and Malaysia over Pedra Branca and two
nearby islands, Middle Rocks and South Ledge, will go before the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague on Nov 6. A decision is
expected early next year.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying that his
country was ready with the necessary evidence and documents for the
hearing, reported The Star newspaper yesterday.

Both countries claim sovereignty over the islands and the matter was
referred to the ICJ in 2003. Singapore's consistent position is for it to
be resolved before the court.

Mr Abdul Kadir Mohamed, adviser for foreign affairs to the Prime Minister,
will lead the 50-man Malaysian legal team. The hearing is expected to take
two to three weeks.

Since the 1840s, Singapore has occupied and exercised full sovereignty
over Pedra Branca, which is located at the entrance to the Singapore
Strait.

Natural for citizens to criticise, as well as praise govt: George Yeo

By Nazry Bahrawi, TODAY
17 August 2007

SINGAPORE: They don't always see eye to eye with the Government.

But political commentators, including bloggers, do have their place in Singapore, according to Foreign Minister George Yeo.

"It is natural that citizens should criticise the Government. It is also natural that citizens should praise the Government for doing good. This is how a healthy relationship is established between the individual and the collective," said Mr Yeo to students from Raffles Institution at a live dialogue session organised by the school yesterday.

Many of the questions centred on political discourse, censorship and democracy. Asked what he thought of political commentators such as Mr Brown, Mr Yeo said he enjoyed some of the well-known blogger's work.

"They are not all fair, but then it won't be funny if there isn't a little (of the) unfair in order to exaggerate a point. It is part of the creative industry, which we are trying to promote in Singapore," he added, citing creativity in blogs, theatre and cartoons.

But what of some Members of Parliament who feel that mr brown was too harsh on government policies? "No, no. In fact, he had even invited me to appear on his blogsite. Maybe one day I will, but I have been quite busy," responded Mr Yeo, who also blogs.

But Mr Yeo did note that some commentators may take things too far. "Sometimes there could be malice in the humour. And if you, as an individual, feel that your reputation is harmed ... then you may have to take action.

"Most of the time, if it is just funny or satirical, I think we should just have a laugh at ourselves. It will build a healthy society and it will make it into a more vibrant city."

To a question on democracy, Mr Yeo said the model differs from country to country. "Whatever form of democracy that we evolve in Singapore, it must do two things: Make us secure and ensure that our economic chances are maximised."

But for a country to work, an active citizenry is crucial.

"We need a good government, and we need a government that does things, but we also need citizens that would do things for themselves and one another," he said.

Singling out the income divide between the haves and have-nots here, Mr Yeo said: "What we need in Singapore is for the people who are more successful to always keep an eye out for those who are less successful and to help them … Whatever the Government does, it is no substitute for the good that we do to each other."

'Be humble and willing to share'

Given the rough patches in Singapore's relations with some of its neighbours recently, some students wanted to know if the Republic's development was a sore point with them.

While Mr Yeo hoped this was not so, he noted: "It is always important to us not to be emotional, be humble and willing to share with others. Accepting that even when we do all these things, sometimes we get criticised for all kinds of things, but we take it in our stride."

Asked about the unhappiness over Singapore's stake in Indosat, Indonesia's second largest mobile phone operator, Mr Yeo said: "The general principles we adopt is be a good corporate citizen, add value where you are, do good to the community yet make a profit … Always observe the local law. That is very important.

"It may be that because we are a little red dot, there is resentment … That is what I meant, that in these countries where we are not very welcome, we should restrain ourselves. - TODAY/fa

Former US Vice-President Al Gore calls on PM Lee

By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia
08 August 2007 1652 hrs

SINGAPORE: Visiting former US Vice-President Al Gore called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana on Wednesday.

Mr Gore, who is now an environmental crusader, is in Singapore for two days as a speaker at the Global Brand Forum.

At the meeting, the two discussed the issue of climate change.

They also exchanged views on how the international community can work together to tackle the climate crisis.

Prime Minister Lee informed Mr Gore that climate change will be one of the key items on the agenda of upcoming regional meetings.

These include the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in September and the ASEAN and East Asia Summits in November.

'I Used To Be The Next President Of The Us'

Al Gore spreads green message with touch of humour and sincerity

Sheralyn Tay
sheralyn@mediacorp.com.sg
Aug 8 2007 (TODAY)

A DISCOUNT store chain and a former "next President" had a profitable
lesson to share with global business yesterday.

Under pressure from a changing business environment and eco-conscious
consumers, Walmart - one of the world's biggest corporations - reduced its
energy consumption and reaped big gains in turn, noted former United
States Vice-President Al Gore (picture).

Speaking in Singapore at the Global Brand Forum yesterday, Mr Gore cited
the American-based chain of discount stores as an early adopter of energy
sustainability.

In its efforts to be a leader in carbon reduction, Walmart placed
windmills on the roofs of many stores and is talking to sub-contractors
about packaging.

And even as Walmart has become embroiled in controversy - over employee
discrimination and union issues - it has gotten a "huge" brand response at
a time this was needed, Mr Gore added.

Mr Gore, who spoke to a packed ballroom of industry leaders, shared his
views on how sustainability was good for branding - served with dollops of
wry and often self-deprecating humour.

Introducing himself, Mr Gore - one of four Vice-Presidents in American
history to win the popular vote but lose a presidential election -
good-naturedly alluded to his controversial loss in 2000, telling the
audience: "I used to be the next president of the United States."

Recounting a meal at a cheap diner with his wife, Tipper, he said: "The
waitress came over and fawned over (Tipper). Then she went over to the
couple next to us and whispered - so low I had to strain to hear her -
'yes, that's Al Gore'. The man replied, 'He's come down a long way hasn't
he?'"

Mr Gore also could also not resist a few pot-shots at the current US
administration, saying - with an unrepentant grin - "I'm sorry, I can't
help myself".

The audience, which responded to his humour and sincerity, asked during
the question-and-answer session: Is he running for President?

No, said Mr Gore, to which another participant stood up and said: "I'm
glad you didn't become President, because you have a far superior role
than a presidential role now."

Mr Gore replied in jest: "I'm sure I would have made my own mistakes, but
different ones."

Even as he peppered his speech with funny asides, Mr Gore had a serious
message for businesses: What were they doing about the climate crisis?

Pointing to the urgency of the situation, Mr Gore said that growing demand
around the world for solutions meant business had to move, or lose out.

"Companies ahead of that curve will be rewarded in the marketplace," he
said. "It is in your business interest to be part of the solution to the
climate crisis."

While lack of political will remained a key stumbling block, Mr Gore was
optimistic that a tipping point, particularly in the US, was close at
hand.

Already, he said, state governments and some 600 cities in the US have
embraced the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that seeks to reduce carbon
emissions - even though the US government itself has not ratified it.

The world's largest companies, such as General Electronics, Caterpillar,
and Proctor and Gamble, have also demanded government limits on carbon
dioxide emissions.

With the newly-elected congress in place and a new American President in
18 months, said Mr Gore: "No matter which party is elected, there will be
change on global warming."

Good governance, but where's the voice?

By Loh Chee Kong, TODAY
12 July 2007

First, the good news: Singapore continues to rank among the best in five out of six areas in the World Bank's latest worldwide governance indicator report.

In particular, it received almost perfect scores in corruption control and government effectiveness.

But the bad news is that in the category of "voice and accountability", which measures political, civil and human rights, the Republic's score hit its lowest since 1996 and it was placed in the bottom half of the 212 countries and territories surveyed.

While Singapore led Southeast Asia in all the governance indicators, it ranked behind Asian countries such as Hong Kong and India when it came to voice and accountability.

According to the World Bank, the latest report — which covers the decade from 1996 — revised the bank's earlier scores after five new data sources, such as the Gallup World Poll and the Open Budget Index, were added. These revisions in "virtually all cases result in minor changes in our earlier estimates", the report stated.

However, the revisions saw Singapore move up dramatically in voice and accountability for 2005.

Last year's edition of the report had placed Singapore in the 38th percentile for that year. After the revision, the Republic was placed near the 56th percentile.

In the latest report, Singapore was placed below 114 other countries, at the 46.6 percentile, in 2006. After the latest revisions, the only time the Republic fared worse was in 1996 (when it was placed at the 46.4 percentile) when the World Bank started the report.

Nevertheless, Singapore registered year-on-year improvements in the other indicators, where it was ranked among the best-managed 16 or so countries.

Singapore's rankings in the survey showed the country to be "one of the best-managed business environments in the world", said the World Bank.

Its representative in Singapore, Mr Peter Stephens, noted that the Republic had emerged relatively unscathed in an eventful decade and it was "easy to see why business has such confidence in Singapore as a place to invest and a location for major operations".

Said Mr Stephens: "Singapore has weathered the collapse of the technology boom, the emergence and competitive pressure of China, Sars and the advent of terrorism. Its systems of governance allow it to make decisions and implement them in ways that not only produce high-quality results, but which businesses can trust."

On the global front, the report showed emerging economies catching up with the rich nations. More than a dozen countries, most of them from the former Eastern Europe communist bloc, scored higher on key measures of governance than countries such as Greece and Italy.

China has improved its anti-corruption stand and the rule of law, but civil freedoms and political stability declined, the World Bank found.

In the region, Thailand — which is undergoing political transition following a military coup last year — experienced significant dips in the areas of political stability, and voice and accountability. In the former category, it was placed near the 16th percentile, ranking it just above 35 or so of the countries in the report. In the voice and accountability area, it was rated 32.2, down from 51.4 in 2005.

Malaysia was placed in the upper half of the rankings in all of the indicators except voice and accountability, where it was ranked in the 38th percentile.

It also registered a 4.3-percentile-point drop — to 58.7 — in political stability.


- TODAY/so

Christina Ong to take over as NParks Board Chairman

05 June 2007 (CNA)

SINGAPORE: Mrs Christina Ong has been appointed to succeed Professor Leo Tan as the new Chairman of the National Parks Board from Wednesday, 6 June.

She is currently the deputy chairman.

Professor Tan has been NParks Board Chairman for almost a decade (since 1998) and has guided it through many projects such as the nation-wide Park Connector Network and the Singapore Garden Festival.

NParks hopes that Mrs Ong, who is the Managing Director of Club 21, will bring in valuable marketing and private sector experience to the board.

Mrs Theresa Foo, Chairman and Senior Advisor of BNP Paribas Capital, will be appointed the Deputy Chairman. - CNA/yy

Malaysia happy to connect to S'pore via MRT: Syed Hamid

By Melissa Goh, Channel NewsAsia's Malaysia Correspondent
18 May 2007 2233 hrs

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is keen on fresh negotiations with Singapore on a new bridge linking the island with the southern Malaysian state of Johor.

The Malaysian Foreign Minister says there is no better time than now to pursue the issue, with bilateral relations on the upswing.

Mr Syed Hamid Albar also says Malaysia will be happy to be connected to Singapore via the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system.

He says the informal meeting between the Prime Ministers of Malaysia and Singapore on Langkawi has established a mechanism for future negotiations on outstanding issues.

"There's no better time than now when relationship is so superb, so good, to take advantage of the environment, the environment is conducive for some concrete achievements while looking at the old tracks, tracks to be resolved," he says.

Mr Syed Hamid, who is a Member of Parliament from Johor, says a new bridge between the state and Singapore will accommodate the robust development of Malaysia's southern region.

"The bridge is important, because I think we want give a different face to the southern gate to Malaysia…We are very happy to be integrated together on the MRT, and it will serve well both sides, Singapore as well as the internal Iskandar Development Region.

"At the same time, we also have hopefully our railway to Johor and from Johor connected to the other system," he says.

Mr Syed Hamid says both prime ministers will continue driving the process of negotiations on outstanding issues, "We need to go on at the highest level, Prime Minister to Prime Minister. We need to find a different mechanism and for that purpose, we will get the guidelines from our Prime Minister and Singapore's."

The two-day bilateral meeting of the two leaders was their first in three years.

Analysts hailed their decision to set up a joint ministerial committee to oversee Johor's Iskandar Development Region as a breakthrough, but some Malaysian legislators were more cautious.

While the Langkawi meeting has succeeded in breaking the ice between both the countries, lawmakers in Malaysia have voiced their concerns over the setup of a joint ministerial committee to oversee the development of the Iskandar Development Region.

Some worry that Malaysia's sovereignty may be compromised, while others raise concerns over the issue of implementation.

MP Wee Ka Siong says, "We see the political will among national leaders but when it comes to implementation this is a big challenge whether those government agencies can really follow the instructions from the top."

Mr Syed Hamid allayed such concerns, emphasising that there is commitment at the top level of both governments.

He also expressed confidence that such cooperative efforts can yield a balance of benefits for both countries. - CNA/yy

Between the sand and a flooded place

By Derrick A Paulo, TODAY
13 February 2007 1039 hrs

After weeks of seeing the Republic caught in the crosshairs of diplomatic snipes by its neighbours, it was time yesterday for some Singapore MPs to let off a little steam of their own.

Indonesia's sand ban, Thailand's tapping allegations and Malaysia's attempt to link its flooding to Singapore were all raised in Parliament.

As MPs sought answers from the Cabinet, they aired their thoughts on the issues.

"Is it true the Indonesians are very concerned over the significant impact to the environment arising from our purchase of sand from them? If so, can we not impress upon Indonesia to be equally concerned about the haze problem?" asked Mr Sin Boon Ann of Tampines GRC.

"What's (the Foreign Minister's) view on the politics of envy in this instance? Does he see the ban on sand arising from a situation of 'I see you little red dot — tak puas (not satisfied), rather than from border and environmental concerns?" enquired West Coast GRC's Madam Ho Geok Choo.

"In view of the recent suspension of the civil service exchange programme by the Thai government ... shouldn't the Foreign Ministry cancel all such programmes and channel the money to better use, such as expediting the lift upgrading programme in Nee Soon South?" said Ms Lee Bee Wah of Ang Mo Kio GRC.

The latter request, in particular, prompted Foreign Minister George Yeo to caution all involved against aggravating matters by "reacting in an emotional way".

"It's certainly not in our interests," said Mr Yeo, who was reluctant to comment on the domestic politics of Singapore's neighbours.

Nonetheless, as MPs probed about Singapore's bilateral relations in the region, Mr Yeo and National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan parsed the issues in detail.

On the sand ban, Mr Mah said that Indonesia's environmental claims were unjustified. "We were aware that various quarters in Indonesia had been calling on their government to ban land sand exports because of claims of environmental damage and the potential impact on Indonesia's boundaries. These claims are not justified," he said.

Indonesian sand suppliers already plough some proceeds from the sale of sand into environmental reconstruction. "That is built into the price of sand," Mr Mah noted.

Neither is it clear how the mining of land sand — which is used only for construction — or sea sand can affect maritime boundaries, said Mr Yeo.

Indonesia banned the export of sea sand in 2003.

Regardless, the reclamation works cannot affect the demarcated boundaries and current agreements between Singapore and its neighbours, he said. Areas not yet demarcated will have to be done so through negotiations.

Referring to Indonesian media reports linking the ban to border talks and extradition treaty negotiations between both countries, he said: "Such a linkage, if true, would be unfortunate and counterproductive. Our border limitation talks are complicated enough. An additional linkage would only make talks more difficult."

On floods in Malaysia, he said this had been "extensively studied", and the effects on Malaysia from Singapore's reclamation works were "not an issue".

Turning to ties with Thailand, he said that while the Thai government had lobbied to cancel former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra's dinner with Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar, the Republic emphasised there would be no publicity.

"It was the Thai side which made public the DPM's meeting with Mr Thaksin, despite our assurance it would be kept private and discreet," said Mr Yeo.

On the eavesdropping allegations, he said there are telecommunications companies under foreign ownership in many countries. For example, a Norwegian company owns a Thai telco.

The Thai authorities and Thai nationals at the Temasek-owned telcos would not allow domestic calls to be routed through Singapore, he said, adding that "it would also have been absurd for Temasek to sully its reputation by doing something like this".

Summing up, Mr Yeo said, "Relations between countries, even close neighbours and partners, sometimes have their ups and downs ... (and) we have to take the current unpleasantness in our stride." - TODAY/fa

He's Been A Green Bush All Along

9 Feb 2007 (TODAY)

President said to have made climate change a priority since taking office
in 2001

WASHINGTON - The White House on Wednesday issued a rare open letter
defending United States President George W Bush's record on climate
change, rejecting criticisms that he has only recently awakened to the
problem of global warming.

The letter rejected media reports following the recent release of a United
Nations report on climate change that, it said, perpetuate the claim that
Mr Bush's interest in the issue is new. "In fact, climate change has been
a top priority since the President's first year in office," the letter
said.

"Beginning in June 2001, President Bush has consistently acknowledged
climate change is occurring and humans are contributing to the problem,"
it said, adding excerpts from speeches in 2001 and 2002 as evidence.
"President Bush committed the US to continued leadership on the issue and,
since 2001, has dedicated nearly US$29 billion ($44.4 billion) to advance
climate-related science, technology, international assistance, and
incentive programmes. This is far more than any other nation."

But the letter coincided with hearings in Congress during which experts
and politicians accused the Bush administration of repressing public
debate about global warming.

Environmentalists have alleged since Mr Bush took office in 2001 that his
administration has ignored and tried to hide looming evidence of global
warming and how much humans have exacerbated the situation. The UN climate
change report issued last week concluded that human activity was
principally responsible for climate change. The report was also strongly
critical of Mr Bush's refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on global
warming, which he has criticised as excessively flawed.

While climate change has rarely been mentioned in Mr Bush's major policy
speeches, he noted "the serious challenge of global climate change" in his
annual State of the Union speech on Jan 23, as he introduced a programme
to advance energy conservation and diversification.

The White House letter argued that the US' performance on cutting
emissions of greenhouse gases, which contributes to global warming "is
among the best in the world". "According to the International Energy
Agency, from 2000 to 2004, as our population increased and our economy
grew by nearly 10 per cent, US carbon dioxide emissions increased by only
1.7 per cent," it added. - AFP

借口防有害动植物流入 日限制中国蔬菜进口量

Lianhe Zaobao
25 March 2001

● 符祝慧（东京通讯员）

　　日本农林水产局已经在日前对香菇、葱等农产品实行紧急进口限制措施，并在前天发出通告，为了防止潜伏在进口蔬菜上的有害动植物流入日本，要求植物防疫所加紧检查。

　　有关措施，被认为是当局限制蔬菜进口量的一个借口。

　　该局认为不断增加的入口蔬菜和低廉价格，影响日本农民的利益。

　　据一位加工食品业者说，中国进口的香菇比日本产的便宜三倍、而一般蔬菜价格也比日本蔬菜的一半。去年的蔬菜进口量是13吨、在四年里增加一倍半。

　　紧急进口限制措施的实施，必须等日本财政部、经济计划厅等批准后才能生效。

　　据《朝日新闻》报道，有关早日实行措施的要求，已呈交日本执政和各个反对党审批。

　　有关提议书也已获得1000个地方议会的认同。

　　据《每日新闻》报道，在执政联盟讨论是否要减少对中国的日元借款问题时，也曾提出上述问题。

　　一些议员认为，从中国进口的蔬菜，严重打击日本农民的生活。

　　他们表示主张是否应该考虑减少对中国农业作日元贷款，以挽救日本国内的农业问题。

　　这两个月来，日本各个农业团体更在农林水产局的协助下，完成对90%有关农民受进口蔬菜影响的调查工作。当局强调，“这份调查报告将成为进口蔬菜损害日本农民的证据。”

《联合早报》