Vietnam issues statement on Singapore PM’s speech

[Knoobie]

Still replying? Gosh u really the man though er...nvm.

 

Safe ride

Cheers

 

thought I could've helped you to feel better.. guess you think you're really beyond hope..

 

fine then! 

[PSP415]

thought I could've helped you to feel better.. guess you think you're really beyond hope..

 

fine then!

I am actually very fine. Thanks for the thought and effort.

 

I was genuinely kidding with u and wanted to see what type of response i will get if i twisted the notion implied. Sompah.

 

Cos it will take a very confident and perhaps super arrogant person like zhou yu to send a blank paper reply to Cao Cao, in his time. The equivalent in modern day may be Trump but its more because he's reckless than sheer courage.

 

Anyways, agree to disagree. I genuinely cant fault PM's note and i am just stating my views.

 

Have a good day. We not stupid. Just got abit more time to kill and sharing our tots.

 

Safe ride

Cheers

[Celicar]

Japan's occupation involves Singapore. So yes, Singapore has the right to clarify if any untrue statement is made on the actual occupation of Singapore during WW2.

 

Vietnam vs Cambodia, does this have anything to do with Singapore? Why need to comment about their conflict on a condolence note to a deceased?

 

Your comparison doesn't hold much water.

"Singapore" means who has the right to "clarify"? The president of the day, the prime minister of the day, you or someone else? 

 

By your requirement, it should be some person who has "experienced" it before. No other requirement.

 

Further, what you are concerned about is what is the answer that shows "EQ". So let's say by some process a person is identified as the one who will represent "Singapore" to "clarify", can this person/"Singapore" then "clarify" that it was actually an invasion rather than a liberation? But wait, horror of horrors, it may offend Japan.

 

To address your latest requirement that it needs to have something to do with Singapore, Singapore was part of ASEAN, so LHL is commenting on something that Singapore was a part of, why is that not enough? By this yardstick, pretty much we don't need to look beyond our noses. That will be EQ Utopia. In fact, going by this LHL should not even have uttered a word of condolence.

[Beehive3783]

No point taking this further since you are picking on words and don't understand the basis of why your PM is wrong to include things that are totally unrelated in a condolence note.

 

Don't want to wish anyone to be in the deceased shoes so you will have to think about that on your own.

 

"Singapore" means who has the right to "clarify"? The president of the day, the prime minister of the day, you or someone else? 

 

By your requirement, it should be some person who has "experienced" it before. No other requirement.

 

Further, what you are concerned about is what is the answer that shows "EQ". So let's say by some process a person is identified as the one who will represent "Singapore" to "clarify", can this person/"Singapore" then "clarify" that it was actually an invasion rather than a liberation? But wait, horror of horrors, it may offend Japan.

 

To address your latest requirement that it needs to have something to do with Singapore, Singapore was part of ASEAN, so LHL is commenting on something that Singapore was a part of, why is that not enough? By this yardstick, pretty much we don't need to look beyond our noses. That will be EQ Utopia. In fact, going by this LHL should not even have uttered a word of condolence.

 

[Sosaria]

pity the speechwriters... new postings coming up

 

You can't blame the speechwriters. Ultimately the leader must read through the final product and apply the finishing personal touches. That's where his experience, insight, sensitivities, knowledge of history should come to the fore. Unfortunately, he's more of a technocrat / engineer

 

For the sake of humanity, the Vietnamese forces did a good thing. The Khmer Rouge was out of control of their PRC masters and they were genocidal nut-jobs. Not only did the Vietnamese stop them, a subsequent attack on their borders by the PLA was also stopped. At that time just after the vietnam war, there was no better expert in guerrilla jungle warfare than the battle-hardened NVA, who had already beaten the French and Americans in years of continuous war.

 

Though the Khmer Rouge were nominally communists, Asean countries tolerated them better than the vietnamese because the khmer rouge were pretty much a gangsta militia kind of organisation similar to those in african countries. Unlike the vietnamese who were also communists allied with the Soviet Union then, and a more serious opponent.

Edited June 6, 2019 by Sosaria

[Sosaria]

Sometimes just short and sweet is the best, no need to talk about accomplishment, what kind of friendship, what war went though and etc. All these are all uncessery information. Sometimes these uncessery information may end up piss off that person for whatever reasons. Like maybe the person felt its bias, or the person felt the information is not that accurate or does not reflect as true person and etc.

 

I very much agree. This kind of condolence message, it's better to stick to generalities and express sympathies, is good enough. It's only for courtesy and there's probably a standard form for diplomatic purposes. Unless the deceased was truly a close personal acquaintance, then maybe can write more.

 

I mean, it's as if your colleague parent pass away and you have to write a condolence message on behalf of the group, same principle applies. Unless you know the family well, you wouldn't know what's the prevailing sentiment and background, so write less is better. Not blank page hor!

Edited June 6, 2019 by Sosaria

[Celicar]

No point taking this further since you are picking on words and don't understand the basis of why your PM is wrong to include things that are totally unrelated in a condolence note.

 

Don't want to wish anyone to be in the deceased shoes so you will have to think about that on your own.

Aren't we all picking on words. You pick on the PM's, I pick on yours.

[Kyrios]

Chit pai dua tiao liao...PM's wordz have gathered world wide attention. If Singapore wants publicity..we hav it!!

[Vidz]

I think we are not such losers not to call a spade a spade.

but whether its really a necessity to call out the spade in a wreath.

[Hamburger]

When you are a big potato, say anything also can.

 

When you are all but a small dot, better diam diam and myob.

[Yewheng]

No point taking this further since you are picking on words and don't understand the basis of why your PM is wrong to include things that are totally unrelated in a condolence note.

 

Don't want to wish anyone to be in the deceased shoes so you will have to think about that on your own.

I think that's common here in Singapore especially in civil service.

 

Like for example, change of command, the speech for outgoing CO will have some lengthy speech of what is his/her accomplishment and etc.

 

I think that set the tone that for every speech about a person, must include what the person accomplished. If it is change of command understandable. But when a person passes away, what is the use of saying his/her accomplishment? Better to keep it short and simple lor.

Edited June 6, 2019 by Yewheng

[Renegade777]

Sorry bro. I disagree.

 

Just as Dr M's misdeeds are repeated and shared many times over, during his decades long leadership, i say diplomacy is just a poor excuse.

 

If the departed did all those to be where he was, those are his "medals" and obviously over a period of ago time.

 

Genocide must not ever be sugar coated, like the holocaust, for diplomacy. The world MUST remember the senseless loss of lives. Diplomacy my foot.

[Playtime]

PM speech writer has to be more sensitive.

 

Many times, what seems to be perfectly legitimate to some can be totally rubbish to another. That's how the reality works. A nicer word is called politics.

You mean the pm is a brainless robot just regurgitating what's putt in front of him??? Edited June 6, 2019 by Playtime

[Vratenza]

Like the good ole hokkien saying....Smart can already...don't act smart (do extra).

 

Chinese also have another idiom......draw snake add legs.

 

 

 

I very much agree. This kind of condolence message, it's better to stick to generalities and express sympathies, is good enough. It's only for courtesy and there's probably a standard form for diplomatic purposes. Unless the deceased was truly a close personal acquaintance, then maybe can write more.

 

I mean, it's as if your colleague parent pass away and you have to write a condolence message on behalf of the group, same principle applies. Unless you know the family well, you wouldn't know what's the prevailing sentiment and background, so write less is better. Not blank page hor!

 

 

[1fast1]

In Nature, small fish know better than to swim defiantly in the face of sharks.

 

Fish seem to have more sense than some people.

[Kyrios]

Maybe the aide just googled..the exploits of the Thai general...and then cut and paste..?

[Playtime]

Asean's strategic challenge now is to maintain some sort of unity against China in way it never had to against America.. or even Russia.

China is playing divide and conquor (since communist insurgency) in a way no other super power did and is having some success.

ANY asean leader should know this is not the time to create divisions ... esp with Vietnam, who is arguably in the frontline against Chinese hegemony.

 

If lhl is so into historical accuracy .

When he went to Tokyo to collect award for lky. Why never emphasise lky was translator for Japanese forces during the war? Or the sook ching incident?

Instead calling for more Japanese engagement.

 

Unlike the JBJ "condolence letter", this is on an international stage. And surely ranks right there with pork soup and middle kingdom speech for being unnecessary provocation.

 

Just go quietly... enough damage been done.

[Vidz]

http://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/newsother/did-vietnam-invade-cambodia-or-save-it-singapore-pm-lee-hsien-loong-stirs-a-khmer-rouge-era-controversy/ar-AACtImb?ocid=ientp

 

quite a nice balanced read, and since its not local.

 

Asked for his comments on Wednesday, Kausikan would say only: "The philosopher George Santayana once said ‘Those who cannot remember history are condemned to repeat it’. The Cambodian minister should reflect on this.”