Singapore Government Press Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts, 36th Storey, PSA Building, 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963. Tel: 3757794/5

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LEE KUAN YEW EXCHANGE FELLOWSHIP

VISIT OF MR HAJIME FUNADA, CHAIRMAN ASIA-PACIFIC COMMITTEE,

LDP RESEARCH COMMISSION ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

26 APRIL - 30 APRIL 1997

The Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship was set up in 1991 in honour of the Senior Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, for his contributions to Singapore. The Fellowship is managed by a Board of Directors chaired by Mr Lee Hee Seng, Chairman, Public Service Commission. The Board of Directors comprises representatives from the public as well as private sectors.

The Fellowship invites outstanding individuals to Singapore. These are people who have a proven track record or who have the potential for contributing to the development of their nations. They may also have helped to promote international understanding and goodwill.

So far, seven LKY Exchange Fellows have visited Singapore under the Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship, viz:

1. Datuk Dr Ibrahim Saad, Deputy Chief Minister of Penang,

Malaysia;

2. Mr Fadel Muhammad, President-Director of Gemas Suprabadi,

Indonesia;

3. Dr Thaksin Shinawatra, Chairman of the Executive Board of

Shinawatra Computer and Communications Group, Thailand;

4. Pehin Dato Haji Badaruddin, Permanent Secretary in the Prime

Minister's Office, Brunei Darussalam;

5. Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Secretary of Finance of the

Government of India;

6. Senator Edgardo Javier Angara, Leader of the Laban ng

Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP); and

7. Mr Xiang Huaicheng, Vice-Commissioner in the State

Taxation Bureau of the People's Republic of China.

The next and eighth Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow is Mr Hajime Funada, a politician, and currently Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Committee, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Research Commission on Foreign Affairs. Mr Funada, aged 43 years, was elected to the House of Representatives in October 1979.

During Mr Funada's stay here, he will call on Ministers and meet senior officials in the Singapore Government as well as leaders in the private sector. He will also visit institutions like the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS).

For more information on Mr Funada's visit, you may wish to contact any one of the following officers at the Fellowship:

Mr Tan Keng Jin

General Manager

Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship

Tel: 3305800

Mr Vincent Pang Kim Fuong

Programme Executive

Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship

Tel: 3305975

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

25 APRIL 1997