Thank you

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.