BEYOND SG

Visit to Tibetan Village and Tibet University on 25 August

On the last day in Lhasa, we visited a Tibetan village and Tibet
University.

It was a pretty village, no doubt frequented by foreign visitors.  The
village head readily admitted that the families received huge subsidies
from the government.  On the roof top, I saw a satellite dish donated in
March this year from the Communist Party  and the State Council, part of
the stimulus package.

I was told that half the land owned by the villages was rented out to Han
farmers from Sichuan who grew fruits and vegetables in greenhouses.

Tibet University has a new campus built only a few years ago.  It has a few
thousand students.  There are special faculties for Tibetology, high
altitude medicine and traditional Tibetan medicine.  I was greeted by both
the Rector and the Party Secretary who apologized for arriving a little
late because he had to be present at the Lhasa half-marathon that morning.
The faculty is two-thirds Tibetan.  Because of the emphasis on education,
Tibetan students are given high school and university places in all the
other provinces of China.

George Yeo

Visit to Tibet University

Sera Monastery and the Dalai Lama's Summer Residence

On 24 August, we visited two important sites - the Sera Monastery where
some one hundred monks took part in the disturbance of March 14 last year,
and Norbulinka Park which was the summer residence of the Dalai Lama.  The
present Dalai Lama used it for a few years before fleeing to India in 1959.
As it was festival time, the grounds were opened to visitors.  We could see
devotees prostrating before the bed and sofa used by the Dalai Lama.  Even
the toilet used by his mother on her visits was regarded as a holy place.

George Yeo

Visit to Sera Monastery

Visit to Norbulingka Park

Tibetan Play

Norbulingka Palace

From Lhasa over the Gambala Pass to Shigatse

From Lhasa, we took the route to Shigatse over the 5000m high Gambala Pass.
The sacred lake of Yamdrok Tso was strangely pastel blue in colour.  Nearby
we stopped to see the Kharola Glacier.  We had to move slowly because the
air was thin.  At Gyantse, we saw an old fort which once defended Tibet
against the British from India.  The Pelkor Cholde Monastery has a
beautiful pagoda which we were too tired to climb beyond the fifth level.
The Tashilunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet's second city, is the seat of
the Panchen Lama.  Unlike the monasteries in Lhasa, there was no
disturbance at the monasteries in Gyantse and Shigatse last March. The
Panchen Lama is coming of age and had his epiphany at the Buddhist
Conference in Hangzhou earlier this year.  He delivered his debut public
speech in English.

George Yeo

Dinner in Shigatse hosted by Deputy Party Secretary of Shigatse Prefecture
and Executive Vice Commissioner of Shigatse Prefecture Mr A Wang

Journey from Lhasa to Shigatse

Gambala Pass

Yamdrok Tso Lake

Kharola Glacier

Gyantse

Gyantse Dzong

Pelkor Chode Monastery

Tashilunpo Monastery in Shigatse

Journey from Shigatse to Lhasa

Lhasa (22 Aug)

 Minister  for  Foreign Affairs George Yeo, who is in Lhasa, Tibet, on an
  official  visit, had a good meeting with Deputy Party Secretary of Tibet
  Autonomous   Region  (TAR)  and  Executive  Vice  Chairman  of  the  TAR
  Government Mr Hao Peng this evening, which was followed by dinner.

           Hao  briefed  Minister  Yeo  on  the  political,  economic  and
  cultural  situation  in  Tibet.   In  the  last 50 years, Tibet had made
  enormous   progress.    The   main   priorities  were  now  on  economic
  development,  as  well  as  environmental  and  cultural protection.  On
  economic development, Tibet’s infrastructure was improving dramatically.
  Two more airports would be opened in addition to the existing three, all
  with extra long runways because of the high altitude.

           Minister  Yeo  said  that Singapore’s relations with China were
  excellent  and that he expected Singapore’s relations with Tibet to grow
  with  the  improved  connectivity,  remarking  that  Lhasa was closer to
  Singapore  than  to Beijing.  Minister Yeo expressed the hope that there
  would  be direct flights between Singapore and Lhasa one day.  Hao asked
  for  Singapore’s  assistance  and  participation  in  the development of
  Tibet’s tourism industry and in urban management.

           Hao briefed Minister Yeo on ethnic relations in Tibet, touching
  specifically on the March 14 riots last year.  Minister Yeo replied that
  he  was  glad  to  be  able  to see Tibet for himself.  He added that he
  understood  the  challenges  of  ethnic  diversity  in  Tibet, recalling
  Singapore’s    own   experience   in   managing   a   multi-ethnic   and
  multi-religious  society.   It  was  natural for there to be problems in
  multi-ethnic societies.  What was important was for these problems to be
  managed  well  taking into account ethnic sensitivities.    Minister Yeo
  said  that  he  was  impressed by China’s great investment in developing
  Tibet, especially over the last 30 years.


  MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
  SINGAPORE

  22 August 2009

Meeting with and Dinner by Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) Party Secretary
and Executive Vice Governor of the TAR Government Hao Peng

 

Visit to Potala Palace

White Palace

Golden Roof

Potala Square

Visit to Jokhang Temple

Visit to Barkor Street

Street Scen

 

Qinghai-Tibet Railroad

The completion of the Golmud-Lhasa railroad was the realisation of a
100-year dream to connect and unite the Chinese people.  At the time of the
republican revolution, plans were drawn up to develop China's
infrastructure and make it a modern nation.  Unfortunately it was not to be
so easy.  China had first to go through decades of civil war, invasion and
revolution.  It was only in the last 30 years, after the destruction
reached its final paroxysm in the Cultural Revolution,
that rapid growth began.  Today China already has a national highway
network comparable in total length to that of the US making it possible to
drive all the way from Shenzhen to Harbin without passing through a single
traffic light.  The rail network is also expanding rapidly especially the
development of high-speed rail.  FM Yang Jiechi told me that passengers
could soon travel from Beijng to Shanghai in  four and a half hours.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railroad is an engineering feat.  80% is above  4000m,
50% on permafrost.  Once thought technically impossible, Chinese engineers
have found a way to lay the railroad on permafrost by using extra long
metal sleepers connected to metal roads which enable the heat generated to
be dissipated away quickly.  Because of the thin air, extra oxygen is
pumped into the cabins.  Even then, most of us experienced a dull headache.
When we came down for a few minutes at Naqu, some 4500m above sea level, we
felt the lack of oxygen immediately. Along the way, we had panaromic views
of rolling pastures rising to high mountain peaks.  On this Qinghai
plateau, the Yellow, Yangzi and Mekong (Lancang) Rivers find their source.

After a whole day, we arrived in Lhasa which is much greener than I had
expected.  Our mobile phones worked sporadically along the journey.  After
crossing the Tanggula Pass, over 5000m above sea level, my iPhone came
alive enabling me to send a short tweet. Once at Lhasa, we were fully
connected again.

George Yeo

Visit to Qinghai

Not many foreign visitors come to Qinghai.  As I wanted to take the train
to Lhasa in order to adjust gradually to the altitude, I was happy to make
a short visit to Qinghai and meet Party Secretary Qiang Wei.  It turned out
that he was planning to visit Singapore this October.  I had a good
briefing on the enormous potential of the province.  It has abundant
natural resources and tourist sites.

George Yeo

Call on PRC National People's Congress Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Li Zhaoxing

Former Chinese FM Li Zhaoxing did much to improve bilateral relations
between China and Singapore.  I had the pleasure of calling on him at the
Great Hall of the People on Tuesday.

George Yeo

 

 

Religious Cocooning in Singapore

The religious cocooning is a crucial issue and I am glad the Prime Minister tackle it head on during the National Day Rally Speech.

Just thinking aloud on this topic.

• I used to attend a religious service until they started verbally criticizing other denominations and religions, in terms of doctrinal differences. Such cocooning spiraled to a point in which their newsletters began to look like howling protest notes. I was happy to leave it as I left for Boston.

• My 5-year old daughter attends a pre-school. When she found out that my idea of a supreme being is different from hers, she turned cold and said her daddy was sure to go to hell. Her teacher taught her that the Ultimate Being overrides her parents, more so if they are non-believers. The teacher'sbelief should be respectedd and her logic may be sound but at such a young age, should my daughter be indoctrinated to doubt her own parent? Darn, and I paid her school fees!

• In the public sector, I recalled one meeting with my bosses, they commented (inaccurately) that all the top leaders in the sector were run by a similar religious group. They nodded and smiled smugly and conspiratorially. Paradoxically, although I belonged to the same religion, I felt like a minority. It was a horrible feeling when you realize you are not part of the "club" BECAUSE of race, language and religion.

• I am far from blameless in terms of such sensitivity. When we ran our business and listed Litespeed, I got a Fengshui Master to improve the fengshui in my office. I was surprised to find out that some of our staff felt offended, as they believed the management was dabbling with the occult. These days, we get the Fengshui master in on non-working days or in the evening.
  

Having said all that, I believe our pledge itself is the best reminder of the need to embrace diversity and tolerance. My Malaysian friend and partner who studied in Singapore called me and recited the pledge after reading my Facebook post.

But I think we should go one step further. If schoolteachers must take courses to teach in schools since their influence is immense, why not religious leaders with (loyal) following of thousands? A director of a listed company takes courses to ensure they understand board governance and accountability. Similarly, religious leaders should be taught and reminded that there are laws preserving social harmony and the consequences of breaking them.

Many religious leaders and their fervent followers seem to be guided by divine powers and perhaps, have forgotten our earthly laws to maintain social cohesion. An annual 1-2 day course on social cohesion responsibilities may not be a bad idea.

They should know our boundaries, our stance on "intolerant to intolerance" and even better, if we can slip in financial governance ("don't scam your followers' monies because auditors are not dumb enough to let you buy a pet horse"), it will do this country a lot of good. The blogpicture of Minister Yeo in a swing sitting between two religious leaders of different faiths inspires me greatly. We can find common ground and respect each other although religion, by default, has a tendency to be exclusive.

Why can’t various religious leaders attend classes on ethical, social and financial responsibilities together? After all, they did that when they were school children. Or as a first step, attend classes from the same religious group.

Ultimately, it is often not the common men in the street that start the religious cocooning. The triggers are not the Muslim and Chinese families wanting to use the same void deck. That was resolved amicably by commonsense and loving-kindness. And I am proud to be in a country that preaches these values.

However, it is always the alpha leaders, the influencers, the rich and powerful and the heads of organizations that have the resources and the convincing power to build these self-serving cocoons. And this is a trick every leader and businessman instinctively knows -cocoon makes us strong. It is "us against them and we will be victorious in the end!" But apply that to religion and a small nation, it will not only straightjacket diversity but it will make lesser men less sane. Prime Minister's speech is a good start, along the way, we must do more.

Harold Fock

Opening of NKF Hougang-Punggol Dialysis Centre

On Sunday morning, the new NKDF dialysis centre at Hougang-Punggol was
officially opened providing an important facility for residents living in
the area.

I did the honours with fellow MP Yeo Guat Kwang and NKF Chairman Gerard Ee.

This project started at the height of the TT Durai scandal when
Singaporeans lost confidence in NKF.  At that time, there were calls to
close down NKF and for the government to take over.  One evening, Mr Lee
Bock Guan of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge leaned over to me at a dinner
function proposing that the various religious groups in Singapore make a
special effort to raise money for NKF in a show of support.  I replied that
the public response would be negative.  However, his good intentions
weighed on me.  Later that evening, I counter-proposed that instead of
raising money for NKF generally, we raise money to build a dialysis centre
which would help kidney patients.  He agreed immediately and pledged to get
others to join in.  When I called  Gerard Ee the follow day, he said it was
a good idea.  I knew that Guat Kwang's division had need of such a centre.
He was enthusiastic and said he would involve the local community  -
grassroots organisations, coffee shops etc.  The Buddhist Lodge and various
Taoist organisations under Mr Tan Thiam Lye's leadership made major
contributions.  Other religious groups chipped in as well.  One Sunday
morning, Guat Kwang and I took part in a fund raising by coffee shops in
his division.

Today NKF is functioning well again.  Public confidence in it has been
restored.  The Hougang-Punggol Dialysis Centre is the fruit of all the good
work put in by so many good people.







 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR8PVYJIWms  = Mr Gerard Ee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1iLqtp3NeA   = Mr Yeo Guat Kwang
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z6loCg-zX8    = Minister George Yeo

iFLY

This morning, I did the groundbreaking for a new attraction in Sentosa, the world's biggest skydiving simulator. Basically you get into a windtunnel that blows at 200km an hour simulating terminal velocity in a skydive. Around that speed, you can go faster or slower by adjusting your body geometry. It is not only fun, it can also be used as a training facility. iFly will be opend in the second half of next year. To commit me to a dive, I've been given a custom-fitted helmet.

George Yeo

Video Links:

iFLY at youtube

iFLY at youtube