The Singapore High Commission in Pretoria held a reception at the High Commission on Thursday, 24 June 2010 at 6.30 pm. The reception was well attended. The Patron of the SCP Alumni in South Africa, Dr Sivi Gounden, Chairman of Houlgoun Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd was the Guest-of-Honour.

High Commissioner Bernard Baker gave a welcome speech at the outset of the event, and thereafter, invited the guests to enjoy the variety of food. The atmosphere at the reception was relaxed, and the Alumni members reminisced about good memories in Singapore and renewed friendships with one another well into the evening. The Alumni enjoyed themselves immensely, staying on to mingle amongst themselves and converse with the High Commission personnel even after the dinner had officially ended.

Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Singapore Embassy in Hanoi, Mr Adrian Tan, hosted a lunch for five Vietnamese SCP alumni at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel on 4 June 2010. The alumni, who were Director-General level and Deputy Director-General level officials from various ministries, were congratulated for completing a three month English language course conducted by the Nanyang Technological University Centre for Continuing Education (NTU-CCE). Mrs Than Le Hoa, Deputy Director-General (Southeast Asia and South Pacific Department), Communist Party of Vietnam; Mr Nguyen Van Sy, Deputy Director-General (State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese), Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Mr Nguyen Thanh Hung, Head of Section (Vietnam Institute of Architecture, Urban and Rural Planning), Ministry of Construction; and Mr Tran Van Luong, Director (Inspection Centre for Industry in Ho Chi Minh City), Ministry of Industry and Trade had just returned to Vietnam after the recently concluded run of the course from March to May 2010. Ms Nguyen Thi To Anh, Head of Section (Consular Department), Ministry of Foreign Affairs was part of the delegation that attended the course in 2009.

The lunch took place in a casual and relaxed atmosphere, with the alumni talking about their positive experiences in Singapore. Although they were required to spend three months away from home, the alumni noted that they also gained a lot through improving their English and building strong friendships with their fellow course participants. They also had the opportunity to learn about Singapore's history, culture and society.

The Singapore Consulate in Pekanbaru and the Riau SCP Alumni jointly organised an English Language Festival from 24 to 26 April 2010 for high-school and university students in Riau Province. The Festival was timed to complement the line-up of activities in connection with the National Education Day (2 May in Indonesia). The three-day Festival consisted of competitions in debate, poetry, drama, singing and oratory skills, held at the HS Soeman Library in Pekanbaru. The library has supported SCP Alumni events and Singapore Consul, Mr Gavin Chay, has previously participated in one of the sessions of the ongoing English Community programme through which the library provides opportunities for students and working adults alike to practise English. The Consulate proposed the English Language Festival as a means to contribute to the library's efforts and simultaneously reach out to the local community. A joint working committee comprising Consulate personnel and 20 members of the Riau SCP Alumni was co-chaired by Consul Gavin Chay, and Assistant III, Regional Secretary of Riau Province and the Riau SCP Alumni Chairman, Drs. Ramli Wahid. Demonstrating the strong bilateral ties between Singapore and Indonesia, the committee worked as a team to organise, promote and implement the various attractions of the Festival.

A total of 485 students from the various senior high-schools and universities in Riau Province participated in the Festival, which saw SMA 8 Pekanbaru high-school triumph in four out of the five competition categories. The Prizes Presentation ceremony was officiated by Consul Gavin Chay and Head of the Family Welfare Programme for Riau Province, Mrs Septina Rusli (also the wife of Riau Governor, Mr Rusli Zainal). Consul Gavin Chay also presented 300 English language books and audio-visual learning aids to the HS Soeman Library at the ceremony. These books and audio visual materials were jointly donated by the Singapore Consulate and Singapore's National Library Board.

About 100 Riau SCP Alumni participated in a an outbound camp at Naang Treetop Advenure Camp in Kampar regency from 14 to 15 April 2010. Singapore Consul in Pekanbaru, Mr Gavin Chay, also attended the camp.

Assistant III of Riau Sekda [Regional Secretariat] for human resources and training, Mr Ramli Wahid (who is also the Riau SCP Alumni Committee Chairman), said that the outbound camp was organised to foster teamwork and collaboration among the alumni. In the course of the two-day camp, all the alumni were encouraged to use English as the medium of communication. Another SCP alumnus, Secretary of Riau DPRD [Regional House of Representatives], Mr Nazief Soesila Dharma, added that the outbound camp, which received local media coverage, would contribute to the welfare of the community.

The Riau SCP Alumni have planned other community and teambuilding activities in the coming year, such as an English Language Festival for local students.

The Singapore Embassy in Bangkok organised an SCP Alumni Reception at Swissotel Le Concorde on 11 March 2010. Hosted by Singapore Ambassador in Bangkok, Mr Peter Chan, 45 SCP Alumni attended the reception. The guests included Director General, Rice Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mr Prasert Gosalvitra; Director, International Cooperation Division, Policy Planning and International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Finance, Mr Chakkrit Utensute; and Senior Chief Legal Officer, Bank of Thailand, Mr Dumrongsak Na Ranong. Besides the Alumni residing in Bangkok, some of the attendees were also from outer provinces such as Pattaya, Songkla and Chiang Mai.

The Alumni were appreciative of the reception and enjoyed the Singapore cuisine that was served. Many of them also greeted Ambassador Peter Chan warmly, having attended the previous reception organised by the Singapore Embassy in 2008 at the Dusit Thani Hotel.

The Singapore Consulate in Pekanbaru and the Riau SCP Alumni committee co-organised a "Coffee Morning" breakfast meeting on 22 February 2010. Singapore Consul, Mr Gavin Chay; and Assistant III of Riau Sekda (Regional Secretariat) for human resources and training, Mr Ramli Wahid (who is also head of the Riau SCP Alumni committee), led the meeting whose objective was to plan SCP Alumni Network activities for 2010.

Among the 50 SCP Alumni present at the meeting were Head of Regional Hospital, Yulwiliarty (also the secretary of the Riau SCP Alumni committee); Secretary of Riau DPRD [Regional House of Representatives], Nazief (also former mayor of Batam); Head of Riau Mining and Energy Department, Eddy Rap; Head of Riau Investment Board, Feizal Qomar; and Expert Staff on Economy to the Governor, Teguh Indar Madji.

At the end of the breakfast meeting, a wide range of activities to be conducted under the SCP Alumni Network umbrella in 2010 had been proposed. These included a social outing to an adventure park, a community project to build a library in a village with lower-income families, healthy lifestyle morning walks on the first Sunday of every month, and even the creation of a t-shirt with customised Alumni logo which would be worn by all the Alumni at their gatherings.

The Singapore Consulate in Batam and Kepri's Training and Employment Department co-organised an aerobics exercise session for SCP Alumni on 20 February 2010. The aerobics exercise session was followed by a breakfast reception hosted by Singapore Consul, Mr Raj Kumar Rengaraju, at Pelangi Hotel in Tanjungpinang. The morning outing, which was part of the Singapore Consulate's efforts to foster ties and camaraderie with the SCP Alumni, was attended by 30 Alumni who took time out to join in the aerobics workout and interacted with one another over breakfast.

The fifth annual SCP Alumni gathering in Jakarta was held on 3 February 2010 at the Singapore Embassy. It was co-hosted by the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Singapore Embassy, Mr Lim Hong Huai; and the Acting Head of the Technical Cooperation Bureau, State Secretariat, Ibu Rika Kiswardani, on the Indonesia side.

There was a turnout of about 70 SCP Alumni, some of whom had also attended previous Alumni gatherings in Jakarta. Among the Alumni present was also a group of officials who had travelled two hours from Bandung to Jakarta to participate in the event. Besides the SCP Alumni, invited guests included officials from the State Secretariat.

The evening unfolded in a relaxed and informal atmosphere as many of the guests were already familiar with one another. They renewed friendships and posed for photographs with their colleagues, fellow SCP Alumni, and the staff from the Singapore Embassy.

The sixth SCP Alumni gathering in Ho Chi Minh City was held on 18 December 2009 at the New World Hotel. It was jointly organised by the Singapore Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City and the Vietnam-Singapore Friendship Association (VSFA). The event drew a turnout of 180 guests from Ho Chi Minh City and other southern provinces, who are officials that had participated in SCP training courses, such as the three-month-long "International English for Administrators" course conducted by the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Besides the SCP Alumni, members of the Singapore community living in Ho Chi Minh City were also invited and new friendships were forged among them.

Consul-General, Mr Jimmy Chua and the Chairman of the VSFA, Mr Nguyen Thanh Rum both addressed the guests. It was an enjoyable and meaningful evening, especially for the SCP Alumni, as many of them had not seen one another for a while.

Besides good food, the evening's programme featured musical performances by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and by the Alumni themselves. Some guests also brought home attractive prizes from the lucky draw.

Singapore Consul in Pekanbaru, Mr Gavin Chay, hosted lunch on 9 December 2009 in Pekanbaru for 12 SCP Alumni from Riau Province. The 12 were welcomed by Consul Gavin Chay as new members of the SCP Alumni Network, having recently attended two courses, "Performance Management" and "Public Governance and Administration", in Singapore in September and October 2009. Among the SCP Alumni who attended the lunch were Mr M. Ramli, Assistant III to Governor of Riau; and Mr Zaini Ismail, Head of the Riau Training Board.

In his address, Consul Gavin Chay thanked the SCP Alumni for their presence and said that the SCP Alumni Network was a reflection of the long and close cooperation between Singapore and Riau. He also urged them to participate actively in SCP Alumni Network activities and to contribute to social causes. Mr M. Ramli, in his response, also encouraged the Alumni to apply the lessons they learnt in the SCP course to their professional work and urged them to improve their English, so that they can gain more from other courses conducted in English.

Singapore Consul in Batam, Mr Raj Kumar Rengaraju, hosted breakfast on 19 November 2009 in Tanjung Pinang for SCP Alumni from the Riau Islands.

The Singapore Consulate in Batam worked with M Nur, Head of the Kepri Training and Employment Department, to organise the breakfast gathering, as well as a donation of school bags to schools on Bintan Island. Nur, who coordinates Kepri's training programme with the SCP, assisted the Singapore Consulate to identify schools in Bintan as recipients of school bags.

30 SCP Alumni from various government departments in Kepri attended the gathering. They were pleased to touch base with one another and to play a role in the community project to distribute 300 school bags to the principals of 12 of the poorer schools in Bintan.

Consul Raj Kumar thanked the SCP Alumni for their attendance and encouraged them to form their own core group, which would initiate future Alumni gatherings and activities. This was well received by the Alumni, some of whom addressed their colleagues during the breakfast and gave suggestions on what the Alumni could do or organise.

Singapore Ambassador to Myanmar Mr Robert Chua and Mrs Hisayo Chua hosted the 9th SCP Alumni Dinner on Saturday, 21 November 2009 at the Singapore Embassy's Civic Centre.

132 Myanmar guests attended the event; the most senior Myanmar official present was U Wai Myint, Director-General, Civil Service Selection and Training Department of the Civil Service Selection and Training Board (CSSTB). The SCP alumni were pleased to meet again the friends and colleagues from other ministries and agencies whom they had met during the courses at the Myanmar-Singapore Training Centre and there was much friendly conversation around the room. The guests enjoyed the food, which included Singaporean specialities like 'char kway teow ' (fried noodle). A local band called 'House of Memory' provided the entertainment.

Ambassador Robert Chua said during his welcome address that he was encouraged to see the good response of the alumni, notwithstanding their difficulties in coming to the dinner from Nay Pyi Taw, where the civil service is now headquartered. The Embassy organises this event twice a year to maintain our friendly relations with Myanmar civil servants who have participated in our SCP courses and as a beneficial spin-off, to help them network with their colleagues from other government agencies.

The Singapore Embassy organised a Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) Alumni Reception on 11 September 2007 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Manila, which was attended by more than 60 Alumni. The reception was held in conjunction with the visit of 18 newly-recruited Foreign Service Officers (FSO) from the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who were in Manila for training.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Chief of Mission Desmond Ng noted the value of the SCP in forging closer bilateral relations between the Philippines and Singapore and expressed his hope that the Philippine government would continue to send its officials on SCP courses. DCM Ng also encouraged the SCP Alumni to stay connected with Singapore through the Singapore Embassy in Manila and to explore other possible ways to strengthen the SCP Alumni.

The Alumni and young MFA officers from Singapore had a good time interacting and exchanging views on various matters.