Much hype has been given to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to Washington DC this week.

US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle welcomed PM Lee and Mrs Lee at the White House on Aug 2, as Singaporeans watched from their homes via Facebook live.

Late that evening, Mr Lee became the first Southeast Asian leader to be honoured with a US state dinner, and only the fifth in Asia after India, China, Japan and South Korea.

Here are five of the best moments from the event:

1) Obama knows the Singapore lingo

In his speech at the White House lawn, the US President showed off he was well-versed in Singapore lingo, greeting the crowd in Singapore’s four national languages – English, Malay, Tamil and Chinese.

He then referred to Singapore’s society as “rojak – different parts united in a harmonious whole. We’re bound by the belief that no matter who you are, if you work hard and play by the rules you can make it”.

The outgoing President also referred to Singaporeans in the crowd as “uncles and aunties”, drawing laughter from the audience.

2) Obama and the “little red dot”

Obama’s five-minute speech was peppered with many other references to Singapore, including a joke that Washington was experiencing some “Singapore weather”.

Later, he proved that his knowledge of the city-state was deeper than expected when he mentioned Singapore’s Blk71, a factory building at Ayer Rajah Crescent which houses a large number of technology-start-ups, venture capital firms and tech incubators.

And although he had a hard time pronouncing founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew’s name, the President was spot on when he spoke of the pride Singapore has in being “a little red dot on many maps but with a very big impact on the world”.

PM Lee visits Washington

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AFP, The Straits Times, Reuters

3) A techie for a Prime Minister

The President appeared impressed by PM Lee’s ability to code, and recalled the time the latter created a source code to solve sudoku puzzles.

“The Prime Minister himself wrote a programme to solve sudoku puzzles – which Michelle will want,” he said.

Obama was even aware that Singapore’s foreign minister Vivan Balakrishnan took PM Lee’s code a step further by translating the code into Javascript.

“So I’ve got to start asking John Kerry to do that,” he said as all eyes turned toward the US secretary of state.

4) PM Lee takes over The White House Instagram account

After the meeting, the White House and PM Lee took the opportunity to swap their Instagram accounts.

The White House gave PM Lee’s followers a behind-the-scenes look at the White House state dinner in its takeover of his account. Meanwhile, Singapore’s Prime Minister was active on the White House account, posting five photos from his visit to the US capitol.

One of PM Lee’s photos showing a crying baby surrounded by happy faces at the arrival ceremony proved to be a hit, garnering over 21,400 Instagram hearts in just four hours.

5) “Majulah Singapura”

At the state dinner later that night, President Obama gave a uniquely Singaporean toast to PM Lee, ending off his speech with: “Onward Singapore. Majulah Singapura. Onward America. Cheers, Yam Seng”.

PM Lee also raised his glass, and in his toast to President Obama, announced that Singapore had named an orchid hybrid in honour of him.

Mr Lee explained that the orchid hybird, Dendrobium Barack and Michelle Obama, is “a hybrid of breeds native to Singapore and Hawaii, where the President was born … most of us believe”, as the audience burst into laughter.

He was referring to conspiracy theories that the President was born outside of the US.

ljessica@sph.com.sg

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White House state dinner for PM Lee a rare honour

Wagyu beef, crab salad on the menu at White House state dinner for PM Lee

Singapore is facing another possible surge in dengue infections as the National Environment Agency (NEA) reports rising numbers of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the disease.

The number of dengue cases has just crossed the 10,000 mark for the year and, although infections have dipped in recent weeks, this could be the lull before the storm.

Five of the six people who died this year were aged above 60.

An infectious diseases expert has cautioned that dengue is not only more lethal for the elderly, but also harder to spot when it infects them.

A spate of infections at the start of the year had led experts to warn that it could lead to a record 30,000 dengue cases this year.

The highest number of infections here was in 2013, when more than 22,000 people were struck.

The surge at the start of this year was caused primarily by a change in the circulating virus from Den-1 to Den-2.

There are four dengue strains, so people infected with one strain can get sick when infected with a different strain.

With the NEA swinging into action to stamp out mosquito breeding, the infections tapered off in March and fell to fewer than 300 cases a week by April and stabilised.

Last week, 224 people were diagnosed with dengue, a drop of 42 cases from the previous week.

However, the NEA said its mosquito traps – set around the island – have shown “a steady increase” in the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

“This indicates an abundance of the mosquito vector in our community,” it said on its dengue website.

It added: “As we are in the traditional peak dengue peak season, we anticipate an upward trend in the number of dengue cases in the coming months.”

Myths about the Aedes mosquito and dengue

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The Straits Times, AFP, Reuters, Shutterstock.com

The mid-year hot and wet weather could push up the mosquito population as they breed faster in such conditions.

The NEA added that as “a large proportion of our population is susceptible to dengue due to the lack of immunity”, the higher number of mosquitoes could lead to a surge in cases.

Professor Leo Yee Sin, director of the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said doctors are seeing more dengue cases among older people here.

The high number of deaths among the elderly is not due to a more virulent viral strain as the five deaths were caused by three different strains.

Prof Leo said: “It is well documented that older patients have higher mortality when infected with dengue.

“As long as the age trend continues, we foresee more severe cases and deaths among the older folk.”

She added that it is harder to identify dengue in older people as their symptoms tend to be milder, but the effect of the infection could be more severe.

Their fever is not as high and they have fewer rashes, aches and pain.

They often have existing chronic diseases that make them “have more severe outcomes, more organ involvement, as well as more bleeding”, Prof Leo said.

She said doctors need “a higher index of suspicion” when treating older people and should rely more on diagnostic tests to confirm if the person has dengue.

– facebook.com/ST.Salma

This article was first published on August 3, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

For more than two hours on the stand yesterday, former China tour guide Yang Yin gave his side of the story in a saga that has transfixed Singapore.

Accused of siphoning $1.1 million from a rich, childless widow, he told the court that 89-year-old Chung Khin Chun had gifted him the money and willed him the rest of her assets, worth an estimated $40 million and including a bungalow at Gerald Crescent, in exchange for his companionship. She saw him as the “grandson” she never had, he said.

“I felt very lucky… She asked me to be by her side forever, not to leave her. I agreed,” said the 42-year-old, who in 2014 was sued by Madam Chung’s niece Hedy Mok. She claimed he had unduly influenced her aunt, who was diagnosed with dementia that year.

“In 2011, (Madam Mok) knew that Madam Chung had gifted me the money. Why didn’t she make the report then? Madam Chung was still clear in her head, she could still testify,” said Yang. He also claimed that Madam Chung’s close friend, Madam Chang Phie Chin, 86, who had lived with her, was her husband’s mistress. “This is a secret in their family,” said Yang.

Tussle over widow’s $40m assets turns ugly

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The Straits Times, Madam Hedy Mok, Lianhe Wanbao, Madam Chang Phie Chin, Court Documents

Yang said he first came to Singapore in 2006 for a travel fair, where he met Madam Chung and her husband, Dr Chou Sip King, who died in mid-2007. Madam Chung and Madam Chang met him again when they went to Beijing for a holiday in end-2008. There, Yang got closer to Madam Chung, who asked him to call her daily after her return. He said she later asked him to “accompany” her to Singapore, telling him that she would support him financially.

Read more: Widow ‘willingly’ gave ex-tour guide money

Yang arrived in 2009 after Chinese New Year and was given a hongbao of $5,000. A few days, later he claimed she told him she wanted to leave him everything – and such a will was made the next year.

He claimed he asked her if she was sure and she replied: “You are my grandson. A granny gives her money to her grandson. Is there anything wrong with that?” Last April, the courts recognised a new statutory will that will leave most of Madam Chung’s assets to charity.

Tussle over widow’s $40m assets: A look at Madam Chung’s bungalow

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The Straits Times, Raymond Tan

Madam Chung’s friends would visit her about once a month, while her niece would visit her once every few months, Yang said. Madam Chung told him to avoid the visitors because she “did not want others to know about (their) relationship”.

In 2013, after Chinese New Year, she told him to bring his wife and two children over to Singapore, and they arrived in August 2013. “Madam Chung was very happy because she had the children to play with. She felt that the home was livelier. It did not seem as boring as when the two of us were alone together,” said Yang, who is set to be cross-examined by the prosecution today.

As for the money that is the subject of the criminal breach of trust charges, Yang admitted lying to police about using it to buy paintings for Madam Chung. But that was because she did not want others to know about it, to avoid jealousy and gossip. He said $500,000 was a gift to help with family debts and $600,000 was returned to Madam Chung after she asked for it.

This article was first published on Aug 03, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement would help the United States secure its economic interests and its place in the world, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told US officials and business leaders in Washington, DC, urging them to lend their voices to support the deal.

Speaking at a reception hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce and US-ASEAN Business Council on Monday, Mr Lee acknowledged that the politics is difficult in an election year but said that ratification of the 12-nation pact would be a “clear statement” of US “commitment and confidence in our region“.

“Asian countries want America to be engaged. We need to know that this engagement will be sustained and we need to know that agreements will be upheld and that Asia can depend on America,” he said.

He also dismissed the idea of re-negotiating the deal, saying that “every one of the TPP signatories has had to make sacrifices in order to accept the TPP agreement”.

“Nobody wants to re-open the process, with no prospect of doing better and every chance of having it fall apart,” he said.

The landmark trade deal, which includes countries such as Singapore, the US, Japan and Malaysia, was agreed to last year after a prolonged negotiation process. The deal now awaits ratification by the domestic legislatures of the participating nations.

Given that this is an election year in the US, ratification by the US Congress has long been considered among the most uncertain. Both Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton have said they oppose the deal.

President Barack Obama, however, told The Straits Times in an interview that he “remains committed” to the trade pact.

Reiterating the many strategic and economic advantages that the deal holds for the US, Mr Lee said: “Improved market access will mean cheaper products for consumers and more exports for manufacturers. Incorporated in the TPP are provisions on human rights, intellectual property protection and safeguards for labour and the environment. There will be strong standards that will support innovation and benefit many US technology giants.”

Strategically, he said, the deal would add substance to the US rebalance to Asia, which he stressed cannot be just about the military and the Seventh Fleet of the US Navy. “There are no winners, only losers with protectionism. Economic development across the world will be blocked; less interdependence means the clear advantage of co-operation and interdependence over conflict and war will be weakened,” he said.

He then added: “As Americans say, you have to be at the table, or be on the menu.”

Responding to a question on China’s position on its claims in the South China Sea after the international tribunal ruling last month, Mr Lee said he did not think the Chinese had changed their policy as a result of the decision.

Reactions to South China Sea ruling

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Reuters, AFP, Weibo

Once countries have taken positions, to have them “walk back from those and say ‘well, it’s not quite so absolute and it wasn’t so clearly mine after all’, I think we have to wait a long time to see that happening – very few countries do it”, he said.

He added, though, that he did not think any of the claimant countries would want to “push it to the brink”. “They have interests, they have claims, they would want to maintain them, but nobody wants to go to war,” he added.

Earlier, Mr Lee met US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, Defence Secretary Ash Carter and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.

Reas also: President Obama welcomes PM Lee at White House for special talks

He also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

A 19-gun salute rang out and Singapore’s national anthem was played by a military band as he arrived. To mark his visit, Mr Lee presented a memento – a figurine of a soldier against the Singapore flag – which he said in a Facebook post “symbolises the warm friendship and strong defence ties shared between Singapore and the US”.

Following the wreath-laying, Mr Lee was received at the Pentagon with an enhanced honour cordon featuring all five branches of the US military. A US military band played Majulah Singapura before the Prime Minister and Mr Carter.

Both the Arlington cemetery and the Pentagon are in Virginia state and about 10 minutes’ drive from the White House in Washington, DC.

The two military ceremonies set the tone for an official visit by Mr Lee that features ceremonies reserved for the US’ closest partners.

Around the White House, streets were lined with Singapore and US flags, and two large flags also adorned the ornate Eisenhower building that houses the offices of the US administration staff.

PM Lee visits Washington

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AFP, The Straits Times, Reuters

On the sidelines of Mr Lee’s visit, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Singapore and the US to establish a platform to help companies from both countries work together to pursue opportunities in third-party markets.

The climax of the visit is the state dinner on Tuesday night (this morning, Singapore time) in Washington.

This article was first published on Aug 03, 2016.
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