PM Lee leads Singapore delegation to picturesque Labuan Bajo for Asean Summit
[LABUAN BAJO, INDONESIA] Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is leading a delegation to the 42nd Asean Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, that will take place on Wednesday (May 10) and Thursday, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
PM Lee will be accompanied by his wife Ho Ching, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, as well as officials from PMO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is Acting Prime Minister on May 9 and 10, while Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean will take on that role on May 11, PMO said.
The summit, which opens on Wednesday, is the first of two that Indonesia will host this year as Asean chair.
Discussions about Myanmar’s ongoing crisis are likely to dominate the dialogue at the two-day summit – alongside longer-term objectives that Indonesia has set on community building and economic growth.
On Monday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo told reporters his country will continue to push for the implementation of the “five point consensus” – an agreement among Asean leaders that spells out a potential way for Myanmar to exit the crisis.
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The president, who is popularly known as Jokowi, also condemned an attack on Asean officials who were delivering humanitarian aid in Myanmar.
“Stop using force, stop violence because it’s the people who will be victims,” he said, adding that the “shootout” would not deter efforts by Indonesia and Asean to push for peace in Myanmar.
Two staff members of the Singapore Embassy in Yangon were part of the convoy, MFA confirmed late on Monday, adding that they are safe and have returned to Yangon. It is not clear who else is implicated or who the perpetrators are.
The summit is expected to be attended by leaders of all Asean member states except Myanmar. Thailand’s deputy prime minister Don Pramudwinai will participate in place of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who will remain in Thailand ahead of the country’s general election this Sunday.
For the first time, Timor-Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak will attend the summit as an observer, as the country takes steps towards its accession to the South-east Asian bloc as the 11th member.
A road map for Timor-Leste’s full membership is in the works, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemlu) said last week.
Speaking to the media on Monday night, Sidharto Suryodipuro, director-general for Asean Cooperation at Kemlu, said: “What it contains for the most part... are Asean treaties that Timor-Leste would need to accede to, other forms of obligations for different interests.”
He added that Indonesia has extended various forms of technical cooperation to Timor-Leste. For example, Indonesia is planning to invite 30 Timor-Leste civil servants for internships in various relevant Indonesian ministries that will hold Asean meetings.
“(This is) with the hope that not only will there be experience gathered – maybe mistakes not to be repeated – but more than that also to look at what the legal side of Asean (is),” Suryodipuro noted.
In December, Singapore also launched a Singapore-Timor-Leste Asean readiness package, which covers knowledge and skills training, including English communication, report-writing and negotiation courses for about 200 officials.
The package also offers support in growing Timor-Leste’s education system, such as train-the-trainer programmes and curriculum development.
Better known as a gateway to the famed Komodo island, the normally idyllic Labuan Bajo has been abuzz with activity in the lead-up to the summit.
Major works have been carried out over the past months to improve the picturesque fishing town’s basic infrastructure and build tourist facilities. During the weekend before the summit, workers could still be seen giving some oIder buildings a fresh coat of paint, while banners adorned lamp posts and other structures.
But amid the fanfare, officials have acknowledged that there are still not enough hotel rooms to accommodate the thousands of delegates, officials and journalists descending upon the lush island of Flores.
To boost the supply of lodging, Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation has deployed a ship with 1,906 beds as alternative accommodation for summit attendees. A spokesperson said on Saturday that nearly 800 have registered for a spot on the KM Sinabung.
Meanwhile, at least two Asean leaders are reportedly staying in Bali, an hour’s flight away from Labuan Bajo. One of them is Brunei Sultan and Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesia’s Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said on Monday.
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