The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Lyonchhen was on a three-day visit to Singapore from 27th to 29th November 2016. During the visit, Hon’ble Lyonchhen called on Mr. J.Y. Pillay, Acting President of Singapore, and met H.E. Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore.
Lyonchhen was received at The Istana, the official residence of the President of Singapore, by the Prime Minister of Singapore.
During the course of discussions,Lyonchhen conveyed the warm greetings of His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen and His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. Lyonchhen said that Bhutan enjoys excellent relations with Singaporewhich have been nurtured through the close relationship between His Majesty the King and the leadership in Singapore. He also mentioned that the areas of cooperation between the two countries are growing and that Bhutan has much to learn from Singapore.
Lyonchhen welcomed greater cooperation in disaster preparedness and sporting includingthe possibility of training Singaporean athletes in the high altitude of Bhutan.
The Prime Minister of Singapore welcomed the first official visit by the Prime Minister of Bhutan and expressed appreciation for His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen for personally attending the funeral services of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime Minister and the founding father of Singapore, last year.
Lyonchhen also visited the memorial site of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and paid respects and offered prayers.
Upon arrival in Singapore on 27th November 2016, Lyonchhen visited a vertical farm, which is an innovative way of farming in the city. Such farms currently cater to 30 percent of the domestic vegetable demand in Singapore.
Lyonchhen also visited Asia Pacific Google center in Singapore covers the Asia Pacific users.
On the second day of his visit, on 28th November Lyonchhen visited the Singapore Tourism Board and discussed ways to promote tourism between the two countries through collaboration between Tourism Council of Bhutan and Singapore Tourism Board.
Talking to the participants at the Bhutan For Life event organized jointly by WWF Bhutan and WWF Singapore, Lyonchhen highlighted Bhutan’s success in conserving and promoting our rich environmental heritage, through sustainable development and the eminent challenges for our rural populace.
Lyonchhen also visited the Institute of Technical Education, which offers vocational trainings to the Singaporean youths and has about 25 percent of the school cohort registered with them annually.
In the evening, Lyonchhen visited the Woodland Integrated Border Checkpoint, which apparently is one of the busiest immigration checkpoints in the world.
In the morning, of 29th November Lyonchhen delivered a talk titled “Democracy” at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Diplomacy of the National University of Singapore.
In the evening Lyonchhen attended The Economists event: The World in 2017 Gala Dinner organized by The Economist and gave the keynote interview. During the interview, Lyonchhen talked about Gross National Happiness, Bhutan’s success in sustainable development and renewable energy, and Bhutan’s transition to democracy. The Economist is a weekly news magazine reputed for its insightful analysis of the world events.
