prime news 쐽 THE STRAITS TIMES THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 2009 PAGE A6

Tian Fu eyes bigger Mid-Autumn Fest

New $10m fund will
come in handy for
promoting integration
BY CAI HAOXIANG
THE Tian Fu Club, an association for Chi-
nese immigrants, aims to hold a bigger
Mid-Autumn festival next month and get
its older members to mingle with
more-recent Chinese immigrants.
It will be the biggest event Tian Fu has
organised, costing around $20,000.
Club president Tony Du, 53, has
jumped at the opportunity to tap into the
just-announced $10 million Community
Integration Fund (CIF) to help co-fund
the gathering.
“If our financial burden is lightened,
we can organise more outstanding activi-
ties,” he said of the gathering, which will
be co-organised with the Amoy Associa-
tion.
The Oct 3 event is expected to attract
500 Singaporeans, clan and immigrant as-
sociation members and new arrivals, for
discussions on the immigrant experience.
“We hope the old and new immigrants
can communicate, break down walls and
build friendships,” said Mr Du, the man-
aging director of Asia-Link Technology.
He is also a member of the National In-
tegration Council, set up five months ago Institutions like Temasek Polytechnic ties for them since our founding in ing Race. In the Temasek Polytechnic ver-
to promote social integration among Sin- also welcomed the announcement of the 1990,” deputy principal Edmond Khoo, sion, new foreign students race around
gaporeans and new immigrants. CIF. 56, said yesterday. the city and get an introduction to histori-
Among the measures announced by International students make up about “From time to time, we run residential cal landmarks as well as heritage build-
council yesterday was the CIF. It will
help groups fund activities aimed at bring-
10 per cent of its 15,000-strong student
population and they come mostly from
programmes or courses. These activities
have really drawn local and international
ings. Senior foreign and local students act
as buddies for the event.
ing locals and newcomers closer together. such countries as China, India and Myan- students together. The fund will allow in- Mr Ng described the fund as a catalyst
Funding can also be sought for gather- mar. ternational students more opportunities that could help kick-start integration
ings such as a lunch in July that Keat “The fund will be helpful to us in or- to participate, as many of them come to projects. But he said that over the longer
Hong resident Arumai Chandran, 35, ganising events for international stu- Singapore on a shoestring budget.” term, such projects are expected to be sus-
helped to organise. dents. Temasek Polytechnic has been One annual event it organises is styled tainable and self-funded.
While it was aimed at bringing togeth- very much involved in integration activi- after the popular reality show The Amaz- haoxiang@sph.com.sg
er some 250 residents, mostly new immi-
grants from India, the event involved
non-Indian friends, residents’ committee
members and neighbours.
“After this event, we made a lot of
friends,” said the businessman, a perma-
nent resident originally from Tamil Nadu
in India.
Held at a cost of $3,000, the event was
sponsored by the Keat Hong Citizens Con-
sultative Committee and the People’s As-
sociation.
Mr Ed Ng Ee Peng, 53, a member of the
National Integration Council who is on
the panel that approves applications for
CIF funding, welcomes requests from
groups that hold community-based activi-
ties.
But he would like to see more “struc-
ture” in such events, so that they can
have a greater impact.
“For example, I would introduce multi-
racialism – have a panel display of the so-
cial customs of different races,” he said.

Open Doors, Open Minds, Open Hearts

The integration council recommends:
Open Doors: Increase interaction
쐽 $10 million fund for groups to hold
integration activities, providing
funding of up to 80 per cent for
projects over the next three years
쐽 Have organisers of community and
festive events focus on integration
activities
쐽 Promote collaboration and
activities that involve schools,
workplaces and the community
쐽 Meals@Home programme for local
and international students to share
meals at home or eat out together
Open Minds: Better communication
쐽 Get newcomers to attend English
Govt agencies study ways to
classes; have companies hold
in-house classes for foreign workers
쐽 Organise dialogues for schools, the
community, and companies; share
ideas and experiences on integration
Property developer and former Catholic High student Daniel Teo was one of two parties who successfully bid on government-owned sites.
Open Hearts: Country connection
쐽 Update orientation programmes for
new citizens; have more engaging
citizenship ceremonies
쐽 Prepare students for a globalised
Old Catholic High to be arts centre
world; help them recognise the need
to be open and integrated BY ADELINE CHIA Part of the
쐽 Work with the media to build ARTS REPORTER building will
community spirit, challenge focus on the
stereotypes and celebrate diversity performing
AN OLD boy of Catholic High Secondary arts. The rest
쐽 Have theatre and arts groups School is revamping the school’s old of the space
communicate the integration message campus at 222 Queen Street by turning it will feature a
in interesting ways into an arts centre. popular culture
Property developer Daniel Teo is one museum, two
of two private parties who have success- small cinemas,
fully bid on government-owned sites food and
with a view to converting them into pri-
vate museums.
The other is commercial art gallery
beverage
outlets and Mr
Teo’s art

ensure citizens benefit more
GOVERNMENT ministries and agencies
are looking at ways to make a clearer dis-
tinction between the benefits given to citi-
zens and to permanent residents, Dr Vivi-
an Balakrishnan disclosed yesterday.
“We are looking at this whole issue of
calibrating the differences, so Singapore-
ans can see in concrete terms what it
means to come first,” said the Communi-
ty Development, Youth and Sports Minis-
ter.
“Foreigners in our midst will still feel a
sense of welcome, but they must under-
stand that they cannot demand the same
privileges that come with membership.
This is something we have to keep cali-
brating with time.”
His remarks came a day after Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong told students
at a dialogue that a “sharper” differentia-
tion will be made in how the Government
treats citizens and permanent residents.
The changes will reflect the responsibil-
ities and privileges that come with citizen-
ship.
Dr Balakrishnan did not indicate any
timeframe for the changes but said yester-
day that each ministry was reviewing “its
suite of programmes, services, charges
(and) fees”.
The review is being undertaken even
as a council chaired by Dr Balakrishnan re-
leased recommendations on how to better
integrate immigrants and Singaporeans.
One thing the National Integration
Council would like to see is more foreign-
ers eventually taking up citizenship.
Making clear the difference in treat-
ment between PRs and citizens, as well as
the benefits of being a citizen, could also
show PRs that there are gains to be made
in becoming a Singaporean.
Dr Balakrishnan cited two examples of
policies which favoured Singaporeans.
One is the HDB upgrading programme,
whereby citizens receive sizeable subsi-
dies compared to PRs, who have to pay
the full cost of the upgrading.
The other is the baby bonus scheme.
Given to Singaporean couples, it aims to
encourage them to have babies by easing
the financial burden of parents.
SUE-ANN CHIA
Linda Gallery, which will turn a site at
Loewen Road in the leafy Tanglin Village
area into a centre for Asian contempo-
rary art.
The new developments were an-
nounced yesterday by Mr Sam Tan, who
is parliamentary secretary in the Minis-
try of Trade and Industry and the Minis-
try of Information, Communications and
the Arts (Mica).
He was the guest-of-honour at the
Business of Heritage conference at the
National Museum, a one-day event
which drew nearly 200 gallery owners,
museum curators and tour operators.
The National Heritage Board (NHB)
and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) had
last year put out a call for proposals to
develop three state properties into inte-
grated arts facilities.
Nine proposals for private museums,
showcasing everything from calligraphy
to artefacts, came in.
The proposals were judged by a com-
mittee comprising representatives of the
NHB, Mica, the SLA and the Urban Rede-
velopment Authority.
Two out of the three sites have been
rented out on nine-year leases at a rate
that is estimated to be about 20 per cent
below market rate, as these properties
are being used for civic, community and
institutional purposes.
None of the three proposals submit-
ted for the third site at 27B Loewen Road
were selected.
Mr Teo, 66, chairman of real estate
group Hong How Group, said he has
fond memories of his old school, which
is now located in Bishan.
The art collector, who was a student
there from 1956 to 1961, told a press con-
ference yesterday: “Catholic High is my
alma mater and I spent the best years of
my life there. It was a golden age.”
The four-storey building, built in
1938, has a floor area of 5,249 sq m. At
least $2.5 million will be sunk into reno-
vation and the centre is scheduled to
open next month.
Mr Teo, who is married to former Sin-
gapore Dance Theatre director Goh Soo
Khim, 65, said that a section of the build-
ing will be devoted to the performing
arts.
The rest of the space will be given to:
a museum of popular culture, a cafe and
two small cinemas, all run by Sinema,
collection.
ST PHOTOS:
DESMOND LIM
which showcases independent films; Mr
Teo’s art collection, and other food and
beverage outlets. There will be no entry
fee to the centre.
Linda Gallery, a prominent gallery
group which has branches in Singapore,
Jakarta and Beijing’s 798 Art Zone, is
spending at least $2 million to develop
the other site, located in Loewen Road.
The 13,107 sq m site comprises three
buildings, which are former British army
barracks.
The largest building, 27A, will be used
as a private museum displaying Asian
contemporary art from the collection of
Linda Gallery owners Ali Kusno and Lin-
da Ma, as well as artworks from other
private collectors and overseas muse-
ums. There will also be an outdoor sculp-
ture garden, a cafe and a museum shop.
Visitors will have to pay an entrance fee
to the museum.
Mr Ali, 50, said: “The works are not
for sale, only for display. We want to
show that art is not just for rich people,
but for everybody.”
Grand dame is tops, Life! Page C4

Police question Yale lab technician

NEW HAVEN: A Yale University laborato-
ry technician was released early yester-
day after police collected DNA samples
and questioned him over the slaying of a
graduate student who worked in the same
lab.
Raymond Clark had been taken into
custody on Tuesday night at his apart-
ment in Middletown and was released in-
to the custody of his attorney at about
3am, New Haven police said.
Police officers left his apartment yes-
terday morning after searching it for
hours overnight, looking for evidence in
the killing of 24-year-old Annie Le.
Clark has been described as a person
of interest, not a suspect, in her death.
The body of Miss Le was found stuffed be-
hind a wall in the laboratory last Sunday,
which was to have been her wedding day.
Overnight, state police officers sorted
through items on a card table set up out-
side the apartment’s door.
A tow truck took away a red Ford Mus-
tang that neighbours said was used by
Clark.
New Haven police chief James Lewis
said police were hoping to compare DNA
taken from the technician’s hair, finger-
nails and saliva to more than 150 pieces of
evidence collected from the crime scene.
That evidence may also be compared
at a state laboratory with DNA samples
given voluntarily by other people with ac-
cess to the crime scene.
“We’re going to narrow this down,”
the police chief said. “We’re going to do
this as quickly as we can.”
He also said that Clark would be arrest-
ed or exonerated by the end of this week.
Police have collected more than 700
hours of videotape and sifted through
computer records documenting who en-
tered what parts of the research building
where Miss Le was found dead.
The pharmacology student worked for
a Yale laboratory that conducted experi-
ments on mice. Clark works in the same
lab.
He had been a focus for investigators
at least since Monday, when unmarked
police cars pulled up at his apartment
building. Neighbours said that on Sunday
afternoon, around the time that Miss Le’s
body was discovered, he left the apart-
ment with his girlfriend. It was not clear
when he returned.
Clark shares the apartment with Jennif-
er Hromadka, to whom he is engaged to
be married in December 2011, according
to the couple’s website. She is also a tech-
nician at the Yale lab.
He moved to Middletown from New
Haven six months ago. It is unclear how
long he has worked at the lab.
“He seemed like a normal guy to me,
no big deal,” said Mr Ivan Hernandez, 22,
who lives directly above Clark.
The authorities have acted cautiously
since Miss Le’s disappearance was report-
ed last week. Officials had promised on
Tuesday to release an autopsy report but
prosecutors blocked its release out of con-
cern that it could hinder the ongoing in-
vestigation.
The Le family issued a statement on
Tuesday through a family friend, the Rev-
erend Dennis Smith, that thanked friends
and the Yale community for their support
during their grieving. The family also
asked for privacy. Raymond Clark (white T-shirt), a “person of interest” in the murder of Yale graduate Annie Le, is
ASSOCIATED PRESS, NEW YORK TIMES driven away by police after being picked up at his apartment building. PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS