Thank you

The tragic Oct. 12 bombing in Bali has shown in a moving manner how citizens from a number of countries, neighbors and even far-away countries, have been working voluntarily to help the victims of that horrendous event. If in this column we put our focus on what a number of Singaporean professionals have been doing in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, it is by no means intended to discount the work that has been and is being done by other nationals. However, there is a special reason why on this occasion we'd like to focus on what Singaporeans have done in Bali.

We are thinking, for instance, of what Dr. Leslie Kwek, a plastic surgeon from Singapore, has done together with two of his colleagues, Dr. Chan Hsiang Sui, a general surgeon, and Dr. Cheo Khat Kuen, a nose and throat specialist, as the Straits Times newspaper reported. Dr. Kwek responded to a call for help and immediately flew to Bali with his two colleagues to help treat the victims at Sanglah when he found that the hospital was badly in need of painkillers, antibiotics, dressings and other equipment and medicines. This team of Singaporean doctors called their friends back home for help. Boxes of the required items were immediately flown from Singapore to Bali.

Or take the case of the Bali-based Singaporeans, Joyce Tan and her husband, Shaharin Abas Koh. Promptly after the Oct. 12 event they sent electronic messages to their friends in Singapore and immediately S$3,000 was collected to help the bombing victims in Kuta. Joyce Tan's brother, Don, flew in with supplies of medicines donated by Raffles Hospital to help the local victims of the Kuta bomb blast.

Most probably there are many more Singaporean citizens whose voluntary work and donations were never publicized by the media. Actually, Singaporean citizens have initiated voluntary programs of assistance well before the tragic events of Oct. 12 that, however, did not always catch the attention of Indonesians. For instance, there were the periodical missions organized by Dr. James Koo, a well-known neuro-surgeon, to help people in some villages in Riau province. He and some of his colleagues would visit a cluster of villages, stay there for about a week and offer the population there their professional services for free.

We are also reminded of the initiative of Gen.(ret.) Winston Cheo, a former armed forces commander of Singapore and a former high commissioner to Australia. In his capacity as chairman of Singapore's air force he led several missions to Sumatra and Java.

All those extraordinary examples, especially the work done by the Singaporean professionals in the aftermath of the Oct. 12 bombing, makes us, Indonesians, aware that the old stereotype of Singaporeans who care only for money and are insensitive to the plight of their neighbors is outdated. The younger generation of Singaporeans is increasingly aware that their country is an integral part of this region. Perhaps, eventually, a suitable doctrine could be developed that Singapore's best defense is its loyalty and empathy with the region.

In the meantime, it is certainly appropriate here to say thanks for what Singaporeans have done for Indonesians, on a voluntary basis -- especially to alleviate the suffering of the numerous victims of the Bali bombing tragedy of Oct. 12.