DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE TO ASEAN

Mr Simon S C Tay asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs what is the total amount of official development assistance given by Singapore to each of the ASEAN members from May 1997 to October 1998, whether as training grants or in other forms.

Prof S. Jayakumar: For the period May 1997 to October 1998, Singapore offered a total of S$11.5 million worth of technical assistance to ASEAN countries under the Singapore Co-operation Programme (SCP), which is managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The areas in which ASEAN nationals have been trained under the SCP included English language, trade and investment promotion, civil aviation, port management, productivity, community policing and search and rescue.

Other Singapore ministries and agencies have also separately provided training awards and scholarships to ASEAN nationals.