ASEAN scholars in S'pore

ASEAN scholars in S'pore

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore on Saturday welcomed the first batch of scholars from nine other ASEAN member countries under a program providing university education to students affected by the regional economic crisis.

The Singapore Scholarship was announced by Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at the ASEAN Summit in Hanoi last year, as part of the island-state's initiatives to help fellow ASEAN members dealing with the social effects of the crisis, which erupted in mid-1997.

The 28 scholars, representing Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, were chosen from 250 applicants and will attend two Singapore universities.

Singapore will offer around 30 scholarships each year to students from countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) over the next three to four years. Singapore is a member of ASEAN.