<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=452><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Published September 2, 2009
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>$100m budget for Apec meetings
Agencies working to lessen inconvenience to the public during November summit
By LEE U-WEN
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(SINGAPORE) The government has set aside a sum of just over $100 million to fund its hosting of the year-long Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings.
<TABLE class=picBoxL cellSpacing=2 width=100 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR class=caption><TD>Ms Koh: The newly-enacted Public Order Act will be enforced to ensure law and order is maintained </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The planning started three years ago and things are 'very much on track' despite the ongoing global economic downturn, said Koh Lin-Net, chair of the Apec Singapore 2009 organising committee.
Giving the media an update on Singapore's preparations ahead of the Apec Leaders Week meetings in November, Ms Koh said yesterday that everything remained on schedule and rehearsals have already begun to ensure that things proceed without a hitch.
The high-level meetings, which began last October, will all culminate on the weekend of Nov 14-15 when leaders of all 21 member economies gather here for talks.
Those expected to participate are United States President Barack Obama, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
With security a key priority as so many heads of state are in town at the same time, Ms Koh, who is also deputy secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said that the various government agencies are working closely together to minimise the level of inconvenience caused to the public.
She said that meetings with stakeholders in the affected venues, such as Suntec City where many key meetings will take place, have been held to understand their concerns and ensure business continuity as much as possible. Information on road closures and diversions will also be disseminated in advance.
'We have taken a decentralised approach in our planning. The most sensitive meetings, the Leaders' Retreat for instance, will be held at the Istana, away from the public eye and hopefully there will be as little disruptions as possible,' she said.
In addition to the 21 leaders, some 10,000 delegates, journalists and businessmen are also attending Leaders Week, and the organising committee is leaving nothing to chance in making sure every visitor leaves Singapore with a memorable experience.
In total, 700 officers from 40 government agencies, together with 17,400 people from local-based companies have been roped in to help organise the meetings and social programmes. About 1,800 volunteer ambassadors will play host to the foreign delegates during their stay in the Republic.
An advance three-day visit for all the Apec economies will take place next Monday to give them an overview of the logistical arrangements and a preview of the various meetings facilities, said Ms Koh.
And unlike the International Monetary Fund/ World Bank meetings here in 2006 which saw numerous demonstrations by civil society groups and non-government organisations, Ms Koh said the government 'does not expect' a repeat of those scenes.
She added that the Home Affairs Ministry will enforce the newly-enacted Public Order Act to ensure law and order is maintained.
In total, Singapore will host 123 Apec meetings, dialogues, seminars and workshops over 62 meeting days. Already concluded are two Senior Officials Meetings, the Ministers Responsible for Trade meetings and the Women Leaders' Network meeting.
On the horizon are the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Ministerial meeting in early-October, an Apec 20th anniversary high-level symposium and the Finance Ministers' meeting in November.
The serious meetings aside, there will also be a chance for delegates to let their hair down a little at the Singapore Evening, an event held at the Esplanade that will showcase the country's multi-cultural diversity, heritage and food.
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http://www.tec.gov.sg/TEC About Us/TEC Panel/koh_lin_net.htm
:: TEC Panel Member ::
Ms Koh Lin Net (Deputy Secretary, MTI)
<TABLE border=0 width="95%"><TBODY><TR><TD width="75%">[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ms Koh Lin-Net joined the Ministry of Trade and Industry as Deputy Secretary (Trade) in July 2008. As DS (Trade), she is responsible for Singapore's trade and economic relations in the bilateral and multi-lateral spheres. This includes the negotiation and the implementation of free trade agreements with Singapore's key trading partners, as well as promoting Singapore's interest at regional and multi-lateral fora such as ASEAN, APEC, Asia-Europe Meetings (ASEM) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Prior to her current appointment, Ms Koh was Deputy (ICM and the Arts) in the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), where she oversaw the areas of Arts & Heritage Development, Infocomm & Media Development, as well as Creative Industries.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]She has more than 15 years of experience in various ministries and statutory boards including appoitments as Director (Intellectual Property Policy) and Director (Stragetic Planning), Ministry of Law; Deputy Director, Biomedical Research Council at the former National Science and Technology Board (now A*STAR); Deputy Director (Strategic Planning), Infocomm Development Authority; Deputy Director (Corporate Development), Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (now Singapore Tourism Board); and Head, Industry Development (Electronic Systems), Economic Development Board. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]She currently sits on the board of the Singapore Land Authority, and she was a past board member of Singapore Arts School Ltd; The Esplanade Co Ltd, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, Singapore Tyler Print Institute, and Gas Supply Private Limited.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ms Koh has an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. [/FONT]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>$100m budget for Apec meetings
Agencies working to lessen inconvenience to the public during November summit
By LEE U-WEN
<TABLE class=storyLinks border=0 cellSpacing=4 cellPadding=1 width=136 align=right><TBODY><TR class=font10><TD width=20 align=right>
</TD><TD>Email this article</TD></TR><TR class=font10><TD width=20 align=right>
</TD><TD>Print article </TD></TR><TR class=font10><TD width=20 align=right>
</TD><TD>Feedback</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>(SINGAPORE) The government has set aside a sum of just over $100 million to fund its hosting of the year-long Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings.
<TABLE class=picBoxL cellSpacing=2 width=100 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR class=caption><TD>Ms Koh: The newly-enacted Public Order Act will be enforced to ensure law and order is maintained </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The planning started three years ago and things are 'very much on track' despite the ongoing global economic downturn, said Koh Lin-Net, chair of the Apec Singapore 2009 organising committee.Giving the media an update on Singapore's preparations ahead of the Apec Leaders Week meetings in November, Ms Koh said yesterday that everything remained on schedule and rehearsals have already begun to ensure that things proceed without a hitch.
The high-level meetings, which began last October, will all culminate on the weekend of Nov 14-15 when leaders of all 21 member economies gather here for talks.
Those expected to participate are United States President Barack Obama, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
With security a key priority as so many heads of state are in town at the same time, Ms Koh, who is also deputy secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said that the various government agencies are working closely together to minimise the level of inconvenience caused to the public.
She said that meetings with stakeholders in the affected venues, such as Suntec City where many key meetings will take place, have been held to understand their concerns and ensure business continuity as much as possible. Information on road closures and diversions will also be disseminated in advance.
'We have taken a decentralised approach in our planning. The most sensitive meetings, the Leaders' Retreat for instance, will be held at the Istana, away from the public eye and hopefully there will be as little disruptions as possible,' she said.
In addition to the 21 leaders, some 10,000 delegates, journalists and businessmen are also attending Leaders Week, and the organising committee is leaving nothing to chance in making sure every visitor leaves Singapore with a memorable experience.
In total, 700 officers from 40 government agencies, together with 17,400 people from local-based companies have been roped in to help organise the meetings and social programmes. About 1,800 volunteer ambassadors will play host to the foreign delegates during their stay in the Republic.
An advance three-day visit for all the Apec economies will take place next Monday to give them an overview of the logistical arrangements and a preview of the various meetings facilities, said Ms Koh.
And unlike the International Monetary Fund/ World Bank meetings here in 2006 which saw numerous demonstrations by civil society groups and non-government organisations, Ms Koh said the government 'does not expect' a repeat of those scenes.
She added that the Home Affairs Ministry will enforce the newly-enacted Public Order Act to ensure law and order is maintained.
In total, Singapore will host 123 Apec meetings, dialogues, seminars and workshops over 62 meeting days. Already concluded are two Senior Officials Meetings, the Ministers Responsible for Trade meetings and the Women Leaders' Network meeting.
On the horizon are the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Ministerial meeting in early-October, an Apec 20th anniversary high-level symposium and the Finance Ministers' meeting in November.
The serious meetings aside, there will also be a chance for delegates to let their hair down a little at the Singapore Evening, an event held at the Esplanade that will showcase the country's multi-cultural diversity, heritage and food.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://www.tec.gov.sg/TEC About Us/TEC Panel/koh_lin_net.htm
:: TEC Panel Member ::
Ms Koh Lin Net (Deputy Secretary, MTI)
<TABLE border=0 width="95%"><TBODY><TR><TD width="75%">[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ms Koh Lin-Net joined the Ministry of Trade and Industry as Deputy Secretary (Trade) in July 2008. As DS (Trade), she is responsible for Singapore's trade and economic relations in the bilateral and multi-lateral spheres. This includes the negotiation and the implementation of free trade agreements with Singapore's key trading partners, as well as promoting Singapore's interest at regional and multi-lateral fora such as ASEAN, APEC, Asia-Europe Meetings (ASEM) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Prior to her current appointment, Ms Koh was Deputy (ICM and the Arts) in the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), where she oversaw the areas of Arts & Heritage Development, Infocomm & Media Development, as well as Creative Industries.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]She has more than 15 years of experience in various ministries and statutory boards including appoitments as Director (Intellectual Property Policy) and Director (Stragetic Planning), Ministry of Law; Deputy Director, Biomedical Research Council at the former National Science and Technology Board (now A*STAR); Deputy Director (Strategic Planning), Infocomm Development Authority; Deputy Director (Corporate Development), Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (now Singapore Tourism Board); and Head, Industry Development (Electronic Systems), Economic Development Board. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]She currently sits on the board of the Singapore Land Authority, and she was a past board member of Singapore Arts School Ltd; The Esplanade Co Ltd, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, Singapore Tyler Print Institute, and Gas Supply Private Limited.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ms Koh has an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. [/FONT]
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