Mista
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LOL said ungrateful nation whose water supply and gas supply still comes from Malaysia and Indonesia.
Why should we be grateful for buying gas? We are buying from Indonesia because it's the cheapest, not because it's the only option. It's like saying China/Europe should be grateful to Russia. By the same token we can say that Indonesia should be grateful as you are earning our money.
Look, I'm all for closer cooperation but you guys need to shed off that self-entitled ahbang attitude.
Speaking of gratitude we are always among the first to lend a helping hand when a natural disaster strikes Indonesia, saving countless Indonesian lives in the rural area. We also helped out Indonesia economically through loans and investments, as well in times of crisis. Yet are you ever grateful to us?
On 28 December 2004, the first flight departed for Medan carrying relief supplies such as food, tents, blankets and medicine. The SAF eventually focused its relief efforts on Meulaboh at the request of the Indonesian government. It was the first foreign aid to reach the fishing town where access had been completely cut off in the aftermath of the tsunami. Over the next three weeks, the SAF built two beach landing points and seven helicopter landing sites in Meulaboh. This opened the way for supplies to reach the town and for Meulaboh to function as a second hub of recovery after the provincial capital Banda Aceh had been inundated with overseas aid. The SAF also provided infrastructural support such as a mobile air traffic tower to ease air traffic congestion at Banda Aceh, a portable water purification plant, telecommunications equipment to improve the communications network and a modular building which served as a coordination centre for relief operations. In addition, the SAF medical team treated 5,174 patients in Meulaboh and Banda Aceh; the LSTs transported 190,000 kg of relief supplies; the helicopters ferried 150,000 kg of relief supplies and 2,500 passengers; and the C-130 and Fokker-50 aircraft carried 240,000 kg of relief loads and 1,200 passengers.
With high current account surpluses, substantial budget surpluses, high savings rates, huge foreign exchange reserves, strong inflow of foreign direct investment, almost non-existent external debt, and negligible non-performing loans, Singapore was able to deter currency attacks and to take timely and bold measures to counter the large negative shocks triggered by the crisis. Because of its strong position, Singapore was able to promise loans of US$1 billion to Thailand and US$5 billion to Indonesia, as part of the IMF “bailout package” for these two countries. In addition, Singapore has used its foreign reserves to intervene directly in the foreign exchange markets, to help shore up the baht and rupiah in the midst of the crisis.