<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Embrace diverse cultures and help integrate foreigners
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Saturday's article, 'More diversity, not so much unity'.
The problem facing South Korea in integrating foreigners into society is similar to what Singapore faces today. As Singapore is a global and cosmopolitan city, foreigners come to our shores in increasing numbers over the years.
Based on the figures released by the Department of Statistics, as of last year, there were about 1.6 million permanent residents (PRs) and foreign non-PRs, not to mention the thousands of PRs who attained Singapore citizenship in recent years.
Whether is it new citizens, PRs, foreign professionals working in the civil service and in the private sector or foreign workers working in the construction industry, we should heed the call of the Government and welcome them with open arms.
We must integrate them into our Singaporean society, instead of ostracising them. We ought to learn about and embrace their diverse cultures and traditions and make them feel at home in a foreign land.
As we celebrate 50 years of self-government, let us not forget that Singapore started as an immigrant society under the British. Like our forefathers who left their homelands to earn a living and started families in this city-state, new citizens, PRs and foreigners also contribute to our economic well-being and continued progress and prosperity.
Hopefully, Singapore and South Korea will recognise the importance of 'unity in diversity'. Chan Cheng Lin
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Saturday's article, 'More diversity, not so much unity'.
The problem facing South Korea in integrating foreigners into society is similar to what Singapore faces today. As Singapore is a global and cosmopolitan city, foreigners come to our shores in increasing numbers over the years.
Based on the figures released by the Department of Statistics, as of last year, there were about 1.6 million permanent residents (PRs) and foreign non-PRs, not to mention the thousands of PRs who attained Singapore citizenship in recent years.
Whether is it new citizens, PRs, foreign professionals working in the civil service and in the private sector or foreign workers working in the construction industry, we should heed the call of the Government and welcome them with open arms.
We must integrate them into our Singaporean society, instead of ostracising them. We ought to learn about and embrace their diverse cultures and traditions and make them feel at home in a foreign land.
As we celebrate 50 years of self-government, let us not forget that Singapore started as an immigrant society under the British. Like our forefathers who left their homelands to earn a living and started families in this city-state, new citizens, PRs and foreigners also contribute to our economic well-being and continued progress and prosperity.
Hopefully, Singapore and South Korea will recognise the importance of 'unity in diversity'. Chan Cheng Lin
