[first - 1] st/suntimes/pages 18/11/12

90 cents
NOVEMBER 18, 2012
**
 114 PAGES IN FOUR PARTS  MICA (P) 001/02/2012
She’ll be at the
Marathon
SPORTPAGE53
SAFETY
FIRST,
BUT...
Miel’s
Singapore
heartland
THINKPAGE47
Apl.de.ap
gives back
to the poor
There are trade-offs if
we have too many rules,
says Leslie Koh
THINKPAGE46
CHUA MUI HOONG
THINKPAGE49
HAN FOOK KWANG
How to cool the
HDB resale market
JOHN LUI
The big question:
How do we pick leaders?
Pursuing happiness
is way too hard
THINKPAGES45&46
ILLUSTRATION: MIEL PHOTOS: ST FILE, NEO XIAOBIN, CAROLINE CHIA, MARK CHEONG FOR THE STRAITS TIMES, KEVIN LIM
IN
A STANFORD
COURSE,
FOR FREE
PAGES
2&3
US to refocus on economics
Global leadership
hinges on economic
strength, Clinton tells
Singapore audience
Ben Nadarajan
Assistant Foreign Editor
After being distracted by two major
wars in the last decade, the United
States – the world’s largest economy – will now shift its focus to
putting economics back at the
OVER 50,
NOT OVER
THE HILL
heart of its foreign policy, to preserve its spot as the global leader.
With the conflict in Iraq over
and the US involvement in Afghanistan winding down, the country
could now “update” its priorities in
foreign policy, US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton told a packed auditorium at the Singapore Management University yesterday.
“We are shaping our foreign policy to account for both the economics of power and the power of economics,” she said in a 30-minute
speech. “Our global leadership depends on our economic strength.”
Strengthening its position
“It would shore up our ability to project economic power
around the globe, strengthen our position in the
competition of ideas shaping the global marketplace, and
remind all nations that we remain a steady and dependable
partner. For us, this is a moment to once again prove the
resilience of our economic system and reaffirm America’s
leadership in the world.”
MRS HILLARY CLINTON, stressing that it was essential for the US Congress to
reach an agreement on the budget
Noting how countries no longer
needed a powerful military, but a
strong and growing economy in-
stead, to become a major global
player, Mrs Clinton said: “For the
first time in modern history, na-
‘She loves to sing and dance’
PAGES8&9
IGNATIUS
LOW
Wish it was snow
P
PAGE21
index
weather/tides .......................31
letters ....................................48
comics .........................L22-L23
tv listings .............................L24
horoscopes .........................L24
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Jamuna Shrestha trying to
stand with help from
physiotherapist Wen Jie (left)
and her mother Sandhya at
Parkway East Hospital. Now
12, she was a baby when
Singaporeans first came to
know her.
She was born in Nepal,
joined at the head to her twin
Ganga. The girls were
separated at 11 months by a
team of doctors here in a
97-hour operation.
Both survived, but Ganga
was left brain-damaged and
died of pneumonia four years
ago.
Jamuna was back in
Singapore until last week for
physiotherapy that helped her
raise her right arm and leg for
the first time.
Her mother said that, like
other girls her age, Jamuna
loves to sing, listen to music
and dance.
Stiffer fines
for litterbugs
Spurs’ plan
backfires
Fines for littering will be raised
from $300 to $500, and senior
members of non-governmental
organisations will be trained
and authorised to get tough on
litterbugs next year.
These measures to help clean
up Singapore’s streets were
announced yesterday by
Minister for the Environment
and Water Resources Vivian
Balakrishnan.
The new penalties, which
kick in from March, apply to
first-timers. Fines for repeat
offenders will also be raised.
See >>Top News Page 3
Tottenham manager Andre
Villas-Boas started with
Emmanuel Adebayor
(left) yesterday, in the
belief the striker would
be fired up against his
former team
Arsenal. But the
manager got more than
he bargained for.
Eight minutes after
opening the scoring,
Adebayor was sent off early
in the first half, and the
10-man side were thrashed
2-5 by their bitter rivals.
See >>Sport Page 57
Reports >>Top News Page 8
PHOTO: AP
tions are becoming major global
powers without also becoming global military powers.”
Singapore was a prime example,
she noted. Trade between the two
countries totalled US$50 billion
(S$61 billion) recently, and even
though Singapore had only 1/60 of
America’s population, it was now
its 15th-largest trade partner.
Although Mrs Clinton did not
explicitly say so, the refocusing appears to be prompted by the rise of
China, whose rapidly expanding
economy has pushed it into the
No. 2 spot in the world, overtaking
Japan. In contrast, the US economy
is floundering.
The reorientation also comes as
the US moves into a more intense
phase of its pivot towards Asia,
where many economies are still doing well despite depressed conditions elsewhere.
Expanding on the new direction
of US foreign policy, she said that
while responding to threats will always be central, it cannot be the only thing. “America has to seize opportunities that will shore up our
strength for years to come.”
The policy of intensified engagement with the Asia-Pacific region is
part of that new thrust. And that includes the visit this week of President Barack Obama to Thailand,
Myanmar and Cambodia. “Why is
the American President spending
all this time in Asia so soon after
winning re-election?” Mrs Clinton
asked. “Because so much of the history of the 21st century is being
written here.”
In concrete terms, such efforts
include pursuing free trade arrangements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and protecting US commercial interests. “In negotiations with
China and India on bilateral investment treaties, we are seeking a level
playing field between American
companies and their competitors,
including state-owned enterprises,”
she said.
As for the US, she gave an assurance that it would resolve its budget crisis and that the deeply divided
US Congress would not allow the
country to default on its debt.
“Let’s be clear. The full faith and
credit of the United States should
never be in question,” she said.
[email protected]
See >>Top News Page 6
ST PHOTO: TED CHEN
M
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8
top news
thesundaytimes November 18, 2012
Sitting up is a feat for Jamuna
Nepali girl can also
raise her right arm
and right leg now
Just a normal girl
“She is like any other
girls her age. She loves
to sing, listen to music
and dance. She listens
to Hindi and English
songs and would
spend long hours
watching TV at home.”
Joyce Lim
Jamuna Shrestha was back in Singapore for treatment up till last week,
continuing a long journey of recovery after the marathon operation
that separated her from her conjoined twin sister.
Now 12 years old, she was fitted
with raised shoes to make up for
the fact that her right leg is 6cm
shorter than her left.
And physiotherapy sessions
helped her to raise her right arm
and leg for the first time, as well as
sit by herself without support.
Jamuna and her sister Ganga
were joined at the head when they
were born in 2000 in Nepal. At 11
months, they were separated by a
team of doctors in Singapore led by
surgeon Keith Goh in a 97-hour operation that attracted worldwide attention.
Both girls survived, but Ganga
was left brain-damaged and died of
pneumonia four years ago.
As Jamuna grew older, she needed a wheelchair to get around, as
her right leg and arm are too weak
to be used.
“When she was younger, it was
easier to care for her as I could carry
her around,” said her mother, Ms
Sandhya Shrestha. “Now she is too
heavy for me to carry and the roads
in Nepal are not wheelchair-friendly.”
Jamuna and her mother were in
Singapore from Oct 1 until last
Thursday. She underwent physiotherapy and occupational therapy
at Parkway East Hospital and
Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
During one of her physiotherapy sessions last week, Jamuna was
cheerful and eager to show how she
could move her right limbs.
Ms Pat Woo, rehabilitation therapy manager at Parkway East Hospital, said: “It is heartening to see
Ms Sandhya Shrestha (far left), on
her daughter Jamuna (with red hat).
Jamuna was here for more surgery
and treatment, which included
working with physiotherapist Wen
Jie to practise lifting her leg (below).
ST PHOTOS: TED CHEN
that now she has better back control and is able to sit up unassisted,
which is a significant improvement
in her recovery process.”
When Ms Woo asked Jamuna if
she could stand, she sprang up immediately with the help of her
mother. Despite having to stand
partly on tiptoes as her right leg is
shorter, Jamuna was able to balance herself. But when she tried to
take a step forward, she lost her balance and fell into her mother’s
arms.
When this reporter approached
her, she raised her right arm to give
a “high five”. Asked how she was
feeling that day, Jamuna broke into
a shy smile and nodded, then
chuckled again and clapped her
hands.
“She is like any other girl her
age,” said Ms Sandhya, 36. “She
loves to sing, listen to music and
dance. She listens to Hindi and English songs and spends long hours
watching TV at home.”
But unlike other girls her age, Jamuna does not go to school.
“No school would take her because of her condition,” said Ms
Sandhya. “So I try to teach her English and Nepali at home.”
Ms Sandhya, a single mother,
said she feared losing Jamuna, just
as she lost Ganga.
The operation to separate the
girls left Jamuna without a hard
cover for part of her head. What
should have been the skull is only a
thin layer of skin.
Ms Sandhya said: “I don’t know
how many more operations she
needs to go through. We can only
live one day at a time now.”
[email protected]
NEXT UP:
CRANIOPLASTY
Surgeon Keith Goh knew
that his task would not end
at the operating table.
After separating the
conjoined twins in 2001, he
has kept in touch with their
mother and arranged for
them to return to Singapore
for further treatment.
Sadly, one of the twins,
Ganga, died of pneumonia
in Nepal in 2008.
Dr Goh, 50, said the
condition of her sister,
Jamuna, has improved
significantly in recent years.
She is eating better, has put
on weight and is no longer
suffering from increased
fluid in the brain.
“We can’t turn our heads
and say that we’ve done
enough,” said the surgeon.
“Clearly there is more that
needs to be done and the
responsibility seems to be on
us.”
Dr Goh is hoping to
perform a much-awaited
cranioplasty operation on
Jamuna within one to two
years. Currently, almost half
of the 12-year-old’s head has
no skull protecting it and
she will need an operation
to add a hard covering.
“I am amazed at the
resilience of children and
their healing abilities.
Considering the severity of
her medical condition and
what she went through as a
baby, she is quite a miracle,”
he added.
“Having looked after her
for more than a decade, I
feel a sense of responsibility,
somewhat like a parent
does... I hope to see her grow
up, and become a young
adult.”
Joyce Lim