Last night of River Hongbao 2010 to be organized as “National Integration Night” for

Watchman · Feb 7, 2010

Last night of River Hongbao 2010 to be organized as “National Integration Night” for new immigrants

February 6, 2010
Filed under Headlines

It appears that new immigrants have been on the minds of Singapore leaders lately with every measure taken to make them feel welcomed in Singapore.

Besides collaborating with the Chengdu City government in co-hosting the River Hongbao this year, the last night “would specially be organized as the National Integration Night when activities are organized to integrate new immigrants so that all residents could celebrate the Chinese New Year and soak in the festive atmosphere together.”

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province located in the southwestern part of China.

The five key organisers for this event are Singapore Press Holdings, Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations, People’s Association, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Singapore Tourism Board

The River Hongbao is a week of festivities held yearly to celebrate Chinese New Year. This is the first time that it will involve an external organization outside Singapore. It is not revealed if the $10-million Community Integration Fund will be tapped on to organize the “National Integration Night”.

Singapore has seen an influx of new immigrants from China in recent years as a result of the ruling party’s liberal immigration policies to boost Singapore’s declining birth via immigrantion.

Many of them are unable to speak English and come as construction workers, cleaners, masseurs and prostitutes, but are still given Singapore PRs and citizenships.

MM Lee Kuan Yew said in a recent interview with the National Geographic magazine that it is a “good thing” that Singapore has welcomed so many new immigrants from China as they are more “hard-driving” and “hard-striving” than locals.

A $10 million Community Integration Fund was unveiled last year to help them integrate into Singapore society. It has been used to organize events for the immigrants and to provide free English language classes for them.

Mr Lim Swee Say, Advisor of the Singapore-Sichuan Trade and Investment Committee (SSTIC), said:

“Sichuan and Singapore are close partners in trade and investment. I am happy to see this collaboration being extended to River Hongbao and Chengdu. It serves to promote both trade and cultural exchanges between us. My best wishes for a successful staging of River Hongbao!”

The new China immigrants will not feel left out in Singapore as there is already a sizable number of them here. Certain parts of Singapore like Geylang now resembles more like provinces in China.

Despite widespread frustration, resentment and anger on the ground at the influx of foreigners, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said lately that there would not be a “turnaround” in the government’s “foreign talent” policy and the number of foreign workers may actually increase though the rate of their inflow may slow down in the next few years.

Foreigners now make up 36 per cent of Singapore’s population, up from 14 per cent in 1990.

At the rate the ruling party is mass importing foreigners into Singapore, it is only a matter of time before native Singaporeans become a minority in their own country.

Perhaps in a decade’s time, River Hongbao will have an “National Integration Night” solely for local born Singaporeans to be “reintegrated” into a new Singapore dominated by mainland Chinese.

Leongsam · Feb 7, 2010

Re: Last night of River Hongbao 2010 to be organized as “National Integration Night”

Sinkies have been cast aside by the very govt they elected to save them.

What a pathetic lot you guys are. :rolleyes:

Highfalutin · Feb 7, 2010