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Syndicated News from SingaporeWaterpolo: Singapore out to dominate first regional championshipDate Added: Tue, 22 May 2012 23:01:12 GMT
Singapore may further tighten employment rules: TharmanDate Added: Tue, 22 May 2012 21:01:49 GMT
Singapore approves $3b F1 floatDate Added: Tue, 22 May 2012 09:57:22 GMT
SingTel buys food review portal HungryGoWhere for S$12mDate Added: Tue, 22 May 2012 21:04:26 GMT
Pay for Singapore CEOs remained flat in 2011Date Added: Tue, 22 May 2012 08:34:12 GMT
Leaked minutes cause confusionDate Added: Tue, 22 May 2012 21:02:57 GMT
Singapore attractions draw nearly 50 million visitors last yearDate Added: Tue, 22 May 2012 09:33:27 GMT
Singapore shares end 1.2% higherDate Added: Tue, 22 May 2012 10:37:01 GMT
Union explains SMRT's new pay frameworkDate Added: Tue, 22 May 2012 21:04:26 GMT
Simple truths matter mostDate Added: Tue, 22 May 2012 21:01:47 GMT
Results 1 - 10 of Headlines for Singapore
Singapore HeadlinesResults Page:REGIONAL WORRIES SPEED SINGAPORE-MALAYSIA ARMS RACEDate Added: Sunday, August 25th, 2002Contributed by: RCN Administrator
Singapore’s air force held a ceremony Aug. 23 to mark the attainment of Full Operational Capability (FOC) by its 112 Squadron of KC-135R air-to-air refueling aircraft. The squadron had achieved Initial Operating Capability in December 2000. Originally purchased in 1997, the KC-135R jet tankers are part of a the air force’s broader improvement program, which also includes the recent purchase of AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters and plans to replace its aging A-4SU Super Skyhawk fighter-bombers.
Singapore’s military aviation purchases are fueling an ongoing arms race with neighbor and competitor Malaysia, which is also in the market for new fighter-bomber aircraft as well as airborne early warning and control aircraft. With the effects of the 1997 Asian economic crisis dissipating, both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore have revitalized their acquisition programs for their air forces and other branches of their militaries. But this current round of military upgrades is intended to address the general regional instability as much as the direct competition between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. The attainment of FOC by the KC-135R squadron does not alter the balance of power with Malaysia significantly, as some of the jet tankers have been in operation in Singapore since 2000. And with Malaysia recently converting some of its C-130H cargo planes to air-to-air refueling aircraft, the two have maintained parity in this arena. But it does represent a piece of a larger program designed to ensure that Singapore’s military is a modern fighting force and that its air force has more options in domestic and overseas training and operations. Singapore and Malaysia are both in the market for new fighter-bombers as well. Malaysia is looking at the U.S. F/A-18F Super Hornet and the Russian Su-30MK to replace some of its existing F-18Ds. Singapore wants to replace at least one squadron of its aging A-4SU Super Skyhawk fleet and is looking at the European Typhoon, the French Raphael and the Russian Su-30 as well as the American F-15, F-16 Block 60 and the F/A-18E/F. Both countries appear keener on the F/A-18Fs, though Malaysia may purchase both the U.S. plane and the Russian Su-30s. But while Malaysia and Singapore want to upgrade their front-line strike aircraft, their deeper need is for more surveillance aircraft. Singapore’s Defense Ministry is in talks with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company to acquire the European-made stand-off surveillance target acquisition radar (SOSTAR) to mount on the domestically designed Lalee unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The new UAV would replace Singapore’s E-2C Hawkeyes, allowing extended surveillance of the waters around the island nation. Malaysia is also in the market for an airborne early warning and control system, similar to the U.S. AWACS aircraft, and has suggested its new fighter purchase will be linked to an acquisition of such a system. The Malaysian air force also recently took delivery of a new domestically developed airborne reconnaissance vehicle, the Eagle. The Eagle will be deployed to the state of Sabah on Borneo to patrol the coast for pirates, Abu Sayyaf militants and illegal immigrants. Kuala Lumpur hopes to eventually export the system to other countries. The extra attention to new surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft points to the broader concern of both Malaysia and Singapore: the instability still evident in many other Southeast Asian nations, primarily Indonesia and the Philippines. Singapore is extremely concerned about piracy and other potential threats to international shipping, as revenues from shipping and related activities account for as much as 8 percent of its gross domestic product. Malaysia, which shares a land border with Indonesia, is worried about illegal immigrants and militants crossing over by land or sea and upsetting the delicate social and religious balance now present in the country. While Singapore and Malaysia remain competitors, their aviation arms buildups and overall military modernization programs are aimed less at each other and more at the surrounding region. The most immediate threat to both nations is Indonesia, not in the traditional sense of a military action, but due to social, religious and economic instability. With such non-traditional threats on the rise, Singapore and Malaysia will continue to raise defense spending, paying special attention to their vulnerable sea borders and the vital sea-lanes that link the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea.Results Page: PORTS OVERTAKING WATER ISSUE IN SINGAPORE- MALAYSIA TIESDate Added: Tuesday, August 6th, 2002Contributed by: RCN Administrator
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has stated that Singapore can pull out of a contract to purchase Malaysian water at any time. His remarks came in reaction to reports that Singapore may not renew a key deal when it expires in 2011.
"We do not want to sell water to them. We are losing money selling to them," online daily MalaysiaKini quoted Mahathir as saying. But, according to a BBC report, the prime minister also quipped, "We must supply them with water -- unless we go to war with them." The comments reflect the irritation the water issue continues to cause in the two countries’ bilateral relations. Singapore relies on Malaysia for nearly half of its daily fresh water needs, but it is working to reduce this dependence. Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur is trying to increase the price of water to Singapore beyond the current levels (set 40 years ago). But while water supply is a constant annoyance, a more immediate and pressing source of tensions is Malaysia’s steady erosion of Singapore’s dominance over ports and shipping. Despite their close geographical and historical ties -- or perhaps because of them -- Malaysia and Singapore have had a rocky relationship. Tiny Singapore, briefly a part of the Malay federation, always keeps a wary eye on its much larger northern neighbor. Fresh water, access to Malaysian airspace and disputes over rail lines and bridges remain the centerpieces of repeated diplomatic discussions, but Kuala Lumpur always has held an advantage over Singapore, not only because of its size but also its need for water. Yet Singapore, knowing that two key preferential water contracts come up for review in 2011 and 2061, has in recent years taken steps to reduce dependence on Malaysia. The country is planning the construction of at least six desalination plants to purify seawater, though the government has been unsatisfied with the quality of the water generally produced by such methods. In July, however, Singapore finally announced the approval of a new source of fresh water called NEWater, which is filtered, treated and irradiated sewage. After taking a much-publicized swig of NEWater Aug. 1, Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong declared, "We now have our own water, and if necessary we will just be completely self-sufficient," the Straits Times reported. Singapore officials will present NEWater to the general public during National Day festivities Aug. 9, when nearly 60,000 bottles will be distributed to parade spectators. NEWater’s first use may not be for human consumption, however, but to supply Singapore’s thirsty silicon-chip manufacturing plants. Singapore plans to have four NEWater plants operational by 2012, supplying a total of 55 million gallons per day. Coupled with the planned 2005 date of the island’s first desalination plant, Singapore could produce 85 mgd -- enough to replace the 80 mgd Malaysian water deal that terminates in 2011. Ultimately the government is looking for ways to replace all imported Malaysian water -- including using a system of fresh water reservoirs, NEWater, desalination plants and other conservation methods -- though Goh says Singapore will continue to buy Malaysian water "if the price is right." Some of the urgency is fading from Singapore’s water dependence, but there is another, even more pressing issue straining Singapore-Malaysia relations. Over the past three years, Malaysia has begun to chip away at Singapore’s position as one of the pre-eminent Asian shipping hubs. Singapore’s port is the second-busiest in the world, just after Hong Kong, and revenues from shipping and related activities account for as much as 8 percent of its gross domestic product. But in the past two years Malaysia’s Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), 30 minutes north of the Port of Singapore, already has pulled away two of Singapore’s major clients -- Maersk Sealand and Evergreen Marine -- and intends to expand operations even further. Singapore still handles more than five times as much cargo as Malaysia’s PTP, but the Malaysian upstart is giving Singapore’s primary port operator, PSA Corp., a run for its money. In June, PSA and the Singapore government announced changes and incentives in port policies, offering greater flexibility in its formerly rigid management to try to keep clients from heading to PTP. The strategy appeared to be paying off by late June, when South Korea’s Hanjin shipping company signed a new 10-year contract with the Port of Singapore. But with Singapore facing its worst recession in years, the idea of Malaysia operating a massive port facility mere minutes from its own port is extremely troubling. While issues like water supplies and the use of airspace will simmer, it is the new economic competition that will become the overarching issue in Singapore-Malaysia relations. |
