Singapore sends condolences to India over Air India crash
SINGAPORE: Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday (Jun 12) expressed their condolences to India over the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which killed more than 240 people.
Briton Ramesh Viswashkumar is the only known survivor out of the 242 people onboard. According to Indian police, he had been sitting near an emergency exit of the London-bound flight and managed to jump out.
In a letter addressed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Wong, who is also Singapore's finance minister, said that he was deeply saddened to learn of the crash.
"On behalf of the government of Singapore, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the crash," he added.
"In this time of sorrow, Singapore stands in solidarity with the Republic of India and the countries whose citizens were impacted by the devastating incident."
Dr Balakrishnan also wrote to Indian counterpart Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, extending his deep condolences.
"My heartfelt sympathies are with the people of India and the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy," he said.
London-bound Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport into a medical college hostel in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
an hour ago
- AsiaOne
Police arrest one after Texas state Capitol evacuated after threat to lawmakers, World News
Police arrested a man hours after the Texas State Capitol and grounds in Austin were evacuated on Saturday (June 14) ahead of a planned protest after a credible threat to lawmakers, the Texas Department of Public Safety said. A state trooper made the arrest of the man in connection with the threats during a traffic stop in La Grange, Texas and police said there was no additional threat. A protest against President Donald Trump dubbed the "No Kings" event was beginning at the Texas Capitol around 5 pm CDT (6am Singapore time)Saturday. Police around the US are on high alert after a gunman posing as a police officer killed a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota in an apparent politically motivated assassination, and wounded a second lawmaker and his spouse, state officials said. [[nid:718336]]
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Public to expect lane closures and security checks during Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (right) will make his first state visit to Singapore on June 16 and meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (left). PHOTO: ST FILE SINGAPORE – Motorists should avoid roads near the Parliament House and Raffles Singapore hotel on June 16. This is because the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat will be held at the Parliament House, with State Lunch at Raffles Singapore. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will make his first state visit to Singapore on June 16 where he will receive a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House. He will call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and also meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for the annual Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat. The meeting is a long-held tradition in which the countries' leaders and ministers meet informally each year to discuss ways to strengthen ties. The police said in an advisory on June 15 that they would be conducting security checks on vehicles around both locations near Raffles Place that day. The right lane of Parliament Place from North Bridge Road to lamp post 4F will be closed on June 16 from 4am to 4pm. The left two lanes of North Bridge Road from Seah Street to lamp post 61F will also be closed that day from 12.30pm to 3.30pm for the State Lunch. Police officers and auxiliary police officers will be deployed along Parliament Place and North Bridge Road to assist and direct motorists. Parking restrictions will be strictly enforced and vehicles found parking illegally or causing obstruction will be towed. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore will also be establishing a Temporary Restricted Area (TRA) over the Parliament House that day from 8.30am to 1.30pm , where the conduct of aerial and unmanned aircraft activities within and into the TRA is prohibited. If convicted for the offence under the ANO, he or she may be fined of up to $20,000 for the first offence, and a fine of up to $40,000 or imprisonment of up to 15 months, or both, for the second and subsequent offence. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto to make first state visit to Singapore on June 16
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong meeting Mr Prabowo Subianto, President of the Republic of Indonesia, on Oct 20, 2024. PHOTO: MDDI Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto to make first state visit to Singapore on June 16 SINGAPORE – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will make his first state visit to Singapore on June 16. Mr Prabowo, who took office in October 2024, will receive a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House, said Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MFA) on June 15. He will call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who will host a state banquet in his honour. Mr Prabowo will also meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for the annual Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat. The two leaders have met several times since they each took over as heads of government. For PM Wong, that was in May 2024. PM Wong visited Jakarta in end-October to attend Mr Prabowo's inauguration and joined other invited leaders to personally offer his congratulations. He also made an introductory visit to Jakarta at the start of November. The pair also met recently on the sidelines of the 46th Asean Summit in May in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. MFA said that as the highest-level platform between the two countries, the annual meeting – in its eighth iteration this year – is 'testament to the excellent bilateral relations and strong interpersonal ties between our leaders'. This will be the first Leaders' Retreat for both men in their current capacities. They had attended the Leaders' Retreat hosted by Indonesia in April 2024, when PM Wong was still deputy prime minister, and Mr Prabowo was president-elect. MFA said PM Wong and Mr Prabowo will review the 'strong and substantive cooperation' between Singapore and Indonesia and chart the way forward. 'Singapore and Indonesia share a longstanding friendship and collaborate closely in key areas such as defence, the green economy, and connectivity,' said the ministry. Recent milestones include three key agreements to strengthen cooperation in clean energy and sustainable development. The memorandums of understanding were inked on June 13 during a visit to Jakarta by Dr Tan See Leng, Singapore's Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology, and Dr Bahlil Lahadalia, Indonesia's Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources. Three landmark pacts between the two countries also officially came into force on March 21, 2024. The three agreements – which deal with airspace management, defence cooperation and extradition – come under an expanded framework between the two countries. MFA said Mr Prabowo will be accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono and Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin. He will also be accompanied by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Investment and Downstream Industry Rosan Roeslani, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. Goh Yan Han is political correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
