Day: July 26, 2021

Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Chairman of the Singapore International Foundation (SIF)

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

1. Since its inception 30 years ago, the SIF’s core mission – to build understanding and friendship across borders – has remained as salient as ever. I am delighted to join all of you at the launch of the book, “Winning Hearts and Minds: Public Diplomacy in ASEAN”.

2. There are three key themes that I have gleaned from this collection of essays. First: the importance of public diplomacy, all the more so in our digital age. Second: the need for clear, credible and consistent messaging. Third: the need to build coalitions and extended networks of support.

3. Like many aspects of politics and public life, diplomacy has also been transformed by the ongoing digital revolution.

4. Three reasons. First: digitalisation is breaking down the barriers and pushing us towards ever-greater flows of information and opinions. It blurs the boundaries between what is domestic or foreign. In any case, we all know that foreign policy begins at home. Governments and mainstream news companies no longer have dominant roles in the dissemination of information and opinion. Instead of a common village square, in fact what has happened is that we have fragmented into disparate echo chambers. These echo chambers, paradoxically, also traverse boundaries.

5. Now, more than ever before, we need the tools to be able to analyse, to make sense of the cacophony of voices online, to discern trends and to respond appropriately and in a timely way to what people are consuming, thinking, saying, and feeling in their hearts. The fine line between democratisation and demagoguery, and the limits, are not always clear. Each of us, now, theoretically can be heard by many, many people. But are we actually listening to one another? So the question is – will digitalisation bring us closer or in fact divide us? The fundamental faultlines of race, ethnicity, religion, and gender still remain. They still shape how we perceive and are perceived. Even as digitalisation creates tremendous opportunities to build bridges and connections, it also has the ability to divide us, or even entrench hate, or promote disinformation. With the increasing sophistication of deep fake videos, this distrust will even deepen.

6. COVID-19 has underlined the importance of public diplomacy to combat misinformation, which can sow fear, suspicion, indeed hamper our recovery and prevent us from doing the right thing. We need networks to convey timely and accurate information to people, to build public support for national efforts, as well as a sense of a global community, because pandemics are not limited by borders.

7. Second: The phrase coined by Marshall McLuhan back in 1964 – “The medium is the message”. I think this phrase still applies, perhaps even more strongly. In today’s world, we need a clear, consistent message, underpinned by principles and values, amidst a very uncertain world. But we all need to appreciate that the new media alters human perception of and reaction to the message.

8. Third, it is even more important now than ever before to build coalitions and networks of support for the future. We need new and meaningful ways to engage. We need partners across a wide spectrum: the private sector, research and education, the scientific community, young people. All of us need the humility and the willingness to engage directly at a people-to-people level, at a personal heart-to-heart level. By doing this together, then we can put out what is accurate, factual, scientific, and promote harmony and human welfare instead of sowing the seeds of division and doubt.

9. Building such unity is central to ASEAN’s raison d’etre – “Unity, to forge a common purpose”. A common creed, within ASEAN, is still inchoate. But we know we have to find our own version of “e pluribus unum” (out of many, one), or in the Singapore Pledge “regardless of race, language, or religion”, or the other phrase “bhinneka tunggal ika” (unity in diversity).

10. SIF, which brings together different stakeholders, has a crucial role to play, both within and beyond Singapore. On behalf of MFA, I want to acknowledge the long and fruitful partnership with SIF since its earliest days, when it was headed by Ambassador Chan Heng Chee. It is in SIF’s DNA to build relationships across borders, since the earliest days of your projects with volunteers across ASEAN, China, and India. But it is worth remembering that the act of reaching out beyond our own borders has actually also enriched our own domestic sense of identity, of purpose and pride.

11. On behalf of MFA, indeed on behalf of all citizens of Singapore, we are honoured to have been your partner in this journey. I wish you all the very best. I am confident that SIF will continue its sterling work in the next three decades and beyond, “building friendships for a better world”.

12. Thank you all very much.

Source: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SINGAPORE

BEIRUT 27 July 2021 — The Philippines Embassy in Beirut repatriated its second batch of distressed overseas Filipinos (OFs) on 25 July 2021. The 12 repatriates include six runaways housed in the Embassy shelter, two detainees, and two minor children. All of the distressed OFs were undocumented and were victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

The repatriates were sent off by Philippine Ambassador Raymond R. Balatbat, Third Secretary and Vice-Consul Miko Cabatingan, and the Embassy’s entire Assistance-to-Nationals (ATN) unit.

The repatriates thanked the Embassy for its efforts in extending the much needed assistance (i.e., welfare, immigration, and legal), despite the hurdles they faced in the domestic administrative processes, and in finally arranging their return home.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) also extended assistance by providing quarantine accommodations upon their arrival in Manila and funding their onward domestic flights to their respective provinces.

The recruitment and deployment of newly-hired Filipino workers bound for Lebanon remains illegal to date.

The Embassy continuously offers repatriation and welfare assistance to distressed OFs and their children, including victims of abuse. Extending ATN services remains as the Embassy’s topmost priority, especially with the on-going political and economic crisis and worsening COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs

QUESTIONS

Mr Desmond Choo:To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) how has Singapore supported ASEAN countries in mitigating the effects of COVID-19; and (b) how can Singapore help to build a concerted effort for better COVID-19 and pandemic management in ASEAN.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak:To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) how much of Singapore’s contribution to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund has been used to procure critical supplies; (b) with the worsening of the COVID-19 situation in some ASEAN countries, whether Singapore is exploring further solutions and provision of resources; and (c) how many countries have approached Singapore for bilateral assistance and how has Singapore responded to their requests.

REPLY

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have provided assistance to a number of ASEAN Member States. Following the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, we have launched an “Oxygen Shuttle” programme to send more than 500 tonnes of liquid oxygen in regular shipments to Indonesia from July to August 2021. We have also provided oxygen cylinders, ventilators, and oxygen concentrators, as well as medical supplies and equipment, such as surgical and N95 masks, gloves, and gowns. These were dispatched in two batches from Paya Lebar Air Base on 9 July and Changi Naval Base on 11 July respectively. We had previously sent Universal Transport Media (UTM) swabs, hand sanitisers, and face masks to Malaysia, as well as COVID-19 diagnostic tests and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine to Brunei.

We also contributed 3,000 diagnostic tests and one polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine to the Philippines in March 2020. A total of 27,000 diagnostic tests, two PCR machines, one million surgical masks, and 200,000 bottles of hand sanitiser were also sent to Myanmar in March and October 2020.

Furthermore, PM has also announced that Singapore intends to donate our vaccine allocation through the COVAX Facility to other countries. The COVAX Facility is a global vaccine distribution scheme that aims to guarantee fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries.

Many Singapore-based private sector entities and philanthropic organisations have also played crucial roles. Temasek Foundation made generous donations of diagnostic tests, PCR machines, oxygen concentrators, ventilators, and BiPAP machines to Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, while the Singapore Red Cross has also donated surgical masks and coveralls to our ASEAN neighbours. Likewise, some of our neighbours, such as Thailand and Vietnam have donated medical supplies to us in our times of need.

We remain committed to working together with our neighbours. We are exploring the provision of further assistance to our neighbours, and will continue to support regional and global efforts to combat the virus.

Turning to ASEAN, Singapore has actively contributed to ASEAN’s efforts to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we pushed for ASEAN to coordinate its response and this resulted in the establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies. In 2020, the Working Group agreed to, among others, establish the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund.

PM Lee announced Singapore’s contribution of USD 100,000 to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund at the 37thASEAN Summit in November last year. This added to the initial contribution from all ASEAN Member States, and numerous other pledges we have received from individual ASEAN Member States as well as ASEAN’s external partners. Since then, ASEAN has agreed to use the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund to purchase vaccines for ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. This effort, which is underway, is led by Brunei as the ASEAN Chair and the ASEAN Secretariat.

Mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic goes beyond medical supplies. We need a multi-prong strategy for the region’s recovery from COVID-19. Consequently, we supported the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework and its Implementation Plan launched by the ASEAN Leaders last November. Beyond enhancing health systems, the Implementation Plan also addresses steps that the region must take to strengthen human security, improve economic integration, accelerate digital transformation, while working towards a more sustainable and resilient future.

Singapore has actively engaged in discussions with ASEAN Member States on various initiatives to improve the region’s response to future public health emergencies. ASEAN announced the launch of an ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies in November last year. Singapore supports the Centre’s establishment as this will help boost the long-term capacity of ASEAN Member States to detect and respond to emerging diseases.

We also finalised the ASEAN Strategic Framework for Public Health Emergencies and agreed to start an ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies. The Framework is envisioned to provide ASEAN’s standard operating procedures in response to public health emergencies, strengthen the capacity of ASEAN’s public health networks and complement existing ASEAN agreements on health matters and relevant international agreements.

Tackling the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in ASEAN is not something Singapore or any ASEAN Member State can do alone. We will continue to support ASEAN’s efforts, as well as work with our external partners to forge our response to the scourge of COVID-19. No one is truly safe until everyone is safe.

QUESTION

Mr Alex Yam Ziming:To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he can provide an update on the Ministry’s assessment of any meaningful progress on the implementation of the ASEAN Five-Point consensus for an end to violence and start of dialogue in Myanmar.

REPLY

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: The Five-Point Consensus was agreed to by all the ASEAN Leaders and the Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar military. The Five-Point Consensus called for (i) the immediate cessation of violence and all parties to exercise utmost restraint, (ii) commencement of constructive dialogue among all parties to seek a peaceful solution, (iii) the appointment of a special envoy or envoys of the ASEAN Chair to facilitate mediation and (iv) for the envoy(s) to be given access to all parties concerned; and (v) the provision of humanitarian assistance through the AHA Centre. ASEAN Leaders also called for the release of all political detainees. Brunei, in its capacity as ASEAN Chair for 2021, visited Myanmar from 3 to 5 June 2021 with the ASEAN Secretary General to hold preliminary discussions with the Myanmar military authorities.

ASEAN Member States are working on the implementation of the Consensus, including the nomination of an ASEAN envoy comprising a team of eminent individuals, the modalities of sending such an envoy, as well as how and when to disburse humanitarian assistance.

The implementation of the Five-Point Consensus has been very slow so far, and we are working within ASEAN to expedite this process. It is imperative that the Myanmar military authorities uphold their commitment to implement the Five-Point Consensus, which is totally unrelated to their Five-Point Roadmap. The stakeholders in Myanmar must decide to come together to seek genuine dialogue, negotiation, and reconciliation. There are no quick fixes for the situation in Myanmar. The process is a difficult one, and will take time. Singapore, along with ASEAN, stands ready to help.

Source: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SINGAPORE

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has exchanged several letters since April with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in, Seoul announced Tuesday, in a possible sign Pyongyang is ready to resume engagement with the outside world.

As part of the exchange, the two men agreed to restore an inter-Korean hotline at the border village of Panmunjom, with a first phone call occurring at 10 a.m. Tuesday local time, South Korea’s presidential office said in a statement.

Separately, South Korean officials said that two other cross-border communication lines have been restored, including a military channel and one that used to be associated with an inter-Korean liaison office, which the North demolished last year.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency confirmed the hotline restoration and letter exchange, calling the moves a “big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation” between the two Koreas.

“Now, the whole Korean nation desires to see the north-south relations recovered from setback and stagnation as early as possible,” the KCNA report said.

The dialogue appears to be the most significant North-South interaction in about two years. Analysts will now be waiting to see whether the North also resumes discussions with the United States or accepts international offers of pandemic help.

Precursor?

Inter-Korean dialogue has preceded wider talks before.

Moon and Kim met three times in 2018, paving the way for the summits between the North Korean leader and former U.S. President Donald Trump.

But after the U.S.-North Korea talks broke down in 2019, the North turned against Seoul. Last year, North Korea cut several inter-Korean communications lines and demolished a joint liaison center near the border.

South Korea’s left-leaning administration, which has less than a year left in office, has consistently pushed for a resumption of talks, even while often receiving scornful statements in return from Pyongyang.

Seoul said Tuesday it hopes the hotline restoration will be the first step in a wider improvement of ties. Moon and Kim “agreed to restore mutual trust and re-progress the relationship as soon as possible between the two Koreas,” the statement from Seoul’s presidential office read.

Earlier this month, South Korea’s Joongang Ilbo reported the existence of the Moon-Kim letter exchange, saying the two men were discussing a fourth, virtual summit. South Korean officials have not commented on the possibility of another meeting.

Pyongyang had been quiet

Since last year, North Korea has mostly focused on domestic issues, including the coronavirus.

North Korea insists it has detected no COVID-19 cases, though few observers believe that. An outbreak in the North could be devastating, since the country has an uneven health infrastructure and limited medical supplies.

So far, North Korea has rejected offers of pandemic help from South Korea and the United States.

But last month, Pyongyang hinted it may be open to talks, with Kim saying Pyongyang should be ready for both dialogue and confrontation with Washington.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden says it is prepared to enter a “calibrated, practical approach” to diplomacy with North Korea. It has also said it supports improved inter-Korean relations.

Potential hurdles

But improved ties will face several challenges, including U.S.-South Korea military exercises scheduled for next month.

North Korea usually reacts angrily to the joint drills and often uses the occasions to test-fire weapons or make other provocative statements.

Since the Trump-Kim diplomacy began in 2018, the U.S. and South Korea have scaled back major military exercises, in an attempt to preserve diplomacy.

Another challenge is South Korea’s political calendar. President Moon’s single, five-year term ends in less than a year.

Though it is early, opinion polls suggest Moon’s ruling Democratic Party will be locked in a tight race with the main conservative People Power Party in the March 2022 presidential election. Conservative South Koreans generally take a more combative approach toward Pyongyang.

However, polls suggest inter-Korean talks are widely popular in South Korea. If the talks progress, the ruling Democratic Party will have a better chance to keep the presidency, says Lee Sang-sin, a political science expert who focuses on public opinion at the Korean Institute for National Unification.

“Any time the two Koreas talk, the presidential approval ratings skyrocket,” Lee told VOA.

Lee says Moon has plenty of time for talks, noting that there were only two months left in his term when former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun met his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Il in 2007.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to inter-Korean cooperation are international sanctions meant to punish North Korea for its nuclear and missile programs.

A wide range of economic and other interactions with North Korea is prohibited under several sets of sanctions imposed by the United States and United Nations.

Though South Korea’s Moon has repeatedly said he wants to advance inter-Korean initiatives, he has given few signs he will explicitly violate sanctions in order to do so.

As a result, if North-South relations are to drastically improve, so must U.S.-North Korea ties.

But that has been a challenge since 2019, when Trump walked away from his second summit with Kim in Vietnam.

“That’s why we have to go back to Hanoi,” Lee said.

Source: Voice of America