
Singaporean Havard students can continue studies back home at local universities: MOE
Singaporean students at Harvard can continue their studies at one of the six local autonomous universities back home, should they wish to do so. The Education Ministry says the local universities stand ready to support them. The move comes after the US government barred entry of foreign students studying at Harvard. Alexandra Anand reports.
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Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
S'pore embassy in Washington seeking US clarification on Harvard's visa ban
SINGAPORE - Singapore's embassy in Washington has been seeking clarification from the US State Department and Department of Homeland Security on President Donald Trump's directive prohibiting foreigners from entering the country to study at Harvard University. The embassy is hoping for clarity from US authorities in the next few days, including on whether there will be any delay in the processing of visas for Singaporeans hoping to study in the US, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on June 7. In a zoom call with Singapore media to wrap up his five-day visit to Washington, he noted that many current and prospective students looking to study in the United States had expressed their concern to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over potential visa delays. Asked to elaborate on contingencies being planned should Singaporean students find themselves unable to proceeds with their plans to study in the US, he said the Government is trying to find solutions to deal with the worst case scenario where students are not able to physically study in Boston. 'We've got some ideas for how we can help them to, in a sense, deal with that eventuality without impairing their academic and professional progress,' said Dr Balakrishnan. 'For others who are not yet here, who have not yet secured visas, you may also need to have backup plans, but my main point is we will stay in touch, and we will continue to keep you informed.' Dr Balakrishnan noted that Singapore's ambassador to the US Lui Tuck Yew has also held a virtual town hall with students currently studying in Harvard. In the virtual town hall on May 30, Mr Lui told Singaporean students at Harvard that the Republic's autonomous universities can offer them placements if they wish to discontinue their studies in the US and return home. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said this message was shared with affected students so they could consider returning to Singapore as a possible option to continue their studies. There are six autonomous universities here: National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore University of Technology and Design and Singapore Institute of Technology. University statistics show that there are currently 151 Singaporean students in Harvard. Among them are 12 Public Service Commission scholarship holders. Foreign students at Harvard were thrown into limbo after Mr Trump's administration announced on May 22 that it had revoked Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification with immediate effect. The nearly 6,800 international students in the Ivy League college were given an ultimatum to either transfer to another institution, or face deportation. A federal judge later blocked the move, with the Trump administration rolling back its stance on May 29 and giving Harvard 30 days to submit evidence contesting the administration's plan to revoke the school's right to enrol international students. International students make up more than a quarter of Harvard's student body, but Mr Trump said the university should cap its international intake at 15 per cent. Dr Balakrishnan said the situation confronting international students stems from domestic political issues within the US. But students, including from Singapore, can become affected as collateral damage, and there will be a period of uncertainty of at least a few days or weeks. 'Nevertheless, we will continue to pursue this with the American authorities, and I hope we'll be able to find suitable solutions for our students who want to pursue educational opportunities in the United States.' At a macro level, it remains in both Singapore and the US' interests to keep opportunities open for Singaporeans who want to study and work in the US to expand their domain experience and their networks, he added. 'So this is an issue that we will continue to pursue with the State Department.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.


CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
North Korea hit by major internet outage, likely due to internal cause
SEOUL: North Korea's internet was hit by a major outage that lasted several hours on Saturday (Jun 7), knocking off connection to government web sites and official news services online and severing the reclusive country from cyberspace. It was not clear what caused the outage but it may have been internal rather than a cyberattack, as connections via China and Russia were affected, said researchers who monitor North Korea's internet and technology infrastructure. North Korea's main official news services, its Foreign Ministry, and the Air Koryo national airline were among websites inaccessible on Saturday, before they started coming back slowly around midday, according to checks by Reuters. North Korea's entire internet infrastructure was not showing up on systems that can monitor internet activities, and email services were also affected, Junade Ali, a United Kingdom-based researcher who monitors the North Korean internet, said earlier. "Hard to say if this is intentional or accidental - but seems like this is internal rather than an attack." Officials at South Korea's cyber terror response centre, a police division that monitors North Korea's cyber activities, could not be reached for comment. Martyn Williams, who specialises in North Korea's technology and infrastructure at the Washington-based Stimson Center, also said the cause appeared to be internal as the Chinese and Russian connections were not working. North Korea has one of the world's most strictly controlled internet systems, including access to any form of online communication. The general public has access only to an intranet set up by the government and that is not connected to the wider global network. An elite few in the government and leadership are allowed open internet access, and government and news websites often serve up propaganda for outside audiences. North Korea has in previous years experienced large internet outages suspected as being caused by cyberattacks. The country operates elite teams of hackers, including a group known as Lazarus run by the government intelligence apparatus, that are blamed for attacks against foreign institutions and companies and more recently for theft and the laundering of cryptocurrencies.


CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Singapore exploring 'worst-case scenario' solutions for its Harvard students: Vivian Balakrishnan
SINGAPORE: Singapore is trying to find solutions to deal with the "worst-case scenario" where Singaporean Harvard University students are not able to physically study in Boston, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said on Saturday (Jun 7). His ministry will continue to seek clarification on international student visas with the US State Department and Department of Homeland Security, he told reporters, though he made no promises that the matter would be resolved in time. Dr Balakrishnan on Saturday completed a four-day working visit to Washington DC. This was the first ministerial visit to the US since both countries elected new governments. Harvard's ability to enrol international students was thrown into turmoil last month after the US government said it would block the university from accepting foreign students, affecting study plans. Though all Singaporean students are set to be affected by the visa issue and possible delays in processing their applications, those studying at Harvard have the "greatest concern", and Singapore's ambassador to the US, Mr Lui Tuck Yew, has held a virtual townhall with them. "We are also trying to find solutions to deal with the worst-case scenario where they would not be able to physically study in Boston," Dr Balakrishnan said, adding that the ministry has some ideas about how to help the students deal with that "without impairing their academic and professional progress". Those who are not in the US yet and have not secured visas may need to have backup plans, he said. "But my main point is we will stay in touch, and we will continue to keep you informed." A court on Thursday ruled that the government cannot enforce US President Donald Trump's latest move to bar most new international students at Harvard from entering the country, following legal action by the university. Beyond Harvard, Reuters also reported last month that the US ordered its consular offices to stop scheduling new visa interviews for students and exchange visitors. "I am not in a position to give any guarantees that this will be resolved in time," said Dr Balakrishnan, when asked about contingencies being planned for Singaporean students. He noted that it is already June, and the academic year in the US usually begins in August. "We will have to watch this space, but rest assured that we will continue to do our best to try to at least get clarification, get certainty ... (and) thereafter, give our students specific advice," he said. Dr Balakrishnan said he hoped that there will be clarifications from US authorities in the next few days, but that these are domestic political issues. "The situation confronting our students is not confined to Singapore, but indeed to all international students," he said. "It is not directed at us. Nevertheless, you can become affected as collateral damage." He added that it is in the interest of both countries keep opportunities open to Singaporeans who want to study and even work in the US. "I hope we will be able to find suitable solutions for our students who want to pursue educational opportunities in the United States." "NO HURDLES" Dr Balakrishnan also said there were no challenges in interacting with his US counterparts during his trip. "There were no hurdles or impediments interacting with the Americans ... We got along in our own usual direct and constructive manner," he said, adding that there was no anxiety on that front. "The anxiety is that we have reached the end of a world order that has prevailed for 80 years, and we are now in a period of transition to a new world order." Singapore has benefited from open trade and free flow of investments and the multilateral rules-based order, he said. "That is clearly changing, and the time of greatest danger is the interregnum – the transition period from one world order to the next. That is why this is a time where we need to be alert, we need to keep our eyes and ears open, and we need to respond promptly and quickly to changes." It is also important to interact frequently, candidly, openly and constructively, especially with a superpower which is of "great strategic importance to us", he said. In response to a question on how tariff discussions are going, Dr Balakrishnan said it will take time because the US is looking for multiple rounds of negotiation with its trading partners. Based on conversations with senators and members of Congress from the two major US political parties, there is still a recognition that trade, investment, intellectual property protection, reliability and supply chain security are vital issues, he said. "Do not just look at the headline numbers of what the tariffs are, but rather think about the primary considerations and anxieties of policy makers across the whole world," he said. Negotiators from different countries have to exercise discretion and care in how they seek to preserve and protect their national interests.