The Hindu : International : Singapore shifts focus to reconstruction

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 16, 2005

International

International

Singapore shifts focus to reconstruction

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, JAN. 15. The recent tsunami disaster has sparked a "new spirit in Asia" towards regional cooperation, and Singapore is seeking to render help to the affected countries, especially Indonesia and Sri Lanka among others, by turning the focus on where the City State "can really make a difference on the ground in a pinpointed fashion."

This was indicated by the Singapore Education Minister, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, after he returned from India, which he visited to participate in the "Pravasi Bharatiya Divas," and Sri Lanka, where he assessed its post-tsunami requirements of reconstruction.

Mr. Shanmugaratnam told The Hindu : "We have responded very quickly. The [Singapore] Government has committed resources that are significantly greater than anything we had previously done." The total package included the assistance rendered by Singapore's military units and civil defence force in Indonesia.

"Immediate needs met"

In a separate media interaction, the Singapore Defence Minister, Teo Chee Hean, said: "The Indonesian authorities and the military are now in the process of moving from the emergency relief phase into the reconstruction phase. So, our assistance there in Indonesia is also moving into that phase."

In Sri Lanka, too, according to Mr. Shanmugaratnam, "the immediate crisis relief effort is being addressed already." The "Sir Lankan authorities as well as the people on the ground gave me the impression that those immediate needs have been met, by and large." There could still be some "pockets" with "unmet demand" for relief supplies. But, with "the first phase of rescue and relief coming to an end," it was now a matter of "looking forward to the next phase — rebuilding and rehabilitating the community" in Sri Lanka.

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