Re: 'Allow Timor into Asean', (Editorial, Dec 5).
Your editorial inaccurately described Singapore as a “major naysayer” to Timor-Leste’s application to accede to Asean. Let me clarify Singapore’s position on the issue.
Singapore will help Timor-Leste to join Asean when it is ready to meet the obligations of Asean membership. Singapore’s consistent position is that we need to have a clear understanding of the implications for both Timor-Leste and Asean.
The issues involved in any expansion of Asean, including legal obligations of Asean to its external partners, are complicated and require thorough consideration. For this reason, Asean Leaders established an Asean Coordinating Council Working Group specifically to study all relevant aspects related to Timor-Leste’s Asean membership application. Asean’s consideration of these complex issues are ongoing and have made steady progress.
In the meantime, Singapore remains committed to offering assistance in capacity-building to help Timor-Leste in its development. Since Timor-Leste’s independence in 2002, we have trained more than 600 Timorese officials in various fields through the Singapore Cooperation Programme.
We also cooperate closely with Timor-Leste on issues of mutual interest in Asean-led forums, such as co-chairing (together with New Zealand) an Asean Regional Forum Workshop on Preventive Diplomacy in a Post-Conflict Environment, which took place in Dili in April this year.
I hope the above clarifies Singapore’s position on Timor-Leste’s accession to Asean.
CHUA SIEW SAN
Singapore’s Ambassador to Thailand
General invincibility
Re: “Prawit in the soup over fancy trinkets”, (BP, Dec 7).
When are the junta and the anti-corruption agency going to stop insulting our intelligence?
I’m going to bet my house with my wife in it that the NACC’s investigation on Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon concerning his alleged asset concealment will turn up absolutely nothing.
I’ll bet that the Richard Mille watch and the diamond ring are fake and that he wore them once and already cast them away. Gen Prawit will be exonerated, as usual. (Remember the Hawaiian excursion?)
According to my probability calculations, the chances of Gen Prawit being convicted are less than nil. You’ve got to admit that these generals are invincible.
Somsak Pola
Get tough on bikers
Re: “Strict laws ‘to ensure safe roads’’’, (BP, Dec 7).
I don’t think 50kph (approx 30mph) is safe enough on congested community roads. From my observation, motorbikes go faster than four wheelers which can’t go even beyond 50kph due to congestion. As for punishment, immediate permanent revocation of driver’s permit is recommended for bad drivers.
RH Suga
Switching to eye candy
After 35 years of driving cars and motorbikes accident free in Bangkok and reaching the age of 80, I decided to give up riding a motorbike. Last year I sold my car as it was no fun any more attempting to find parking spaces in Bangkok. My friends already declared me insane for riding a motorbike in Bangkok, which has the second-highest death rate for motorcyclists in the world.
I will miss the great mobility I had with it and enjoy public transport, where I have the chance of looking at a lot of ahaan taa (eye candy), unnoticed by them of course as they are busy playing on their mobiles.
Farang Ki Nok
Jerusalem flashback
Re: “Bad embassy move”, (PostBag, Dec 7).
Memo to Eric Bahrt: The US Congress recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 1995.
Gene Davis
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