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Bernd Stange: Lions Will Do Their Best As Tribute To Lee Kuan Yew

KORAT, Thailand: Even as the Lions prepare to take on Thailand in the first leg of two friendly matches, the mood in the training camp has been sombre, said the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Wednesday (Mar 25). This was attributed to the passing of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, on Monday.

Calling the Lions’ first training sessions “tough”, the FAS said the players were “visibly distraught at the loss of Mr Lee but showed much determination and focus”.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. A visionary leader, he built a beautiful and prosperous country which we are proud to call our own,” said Singapore captain Shahril Ishak. “His contributions cannot be measured in words and we will miss him deeply.”

“We are highly motivated during our training sessions and we are looking to give a very good account of ourselves in the match,” added Shahril. “We are determined to do well for our nation.”

“I could not ask for more from the players. They gave their all and it has been tough first training session for all of them. I also hope the players will do their best as a tribute to Mr Lee,” added Head Coach Bernd Stange.

As a mark of respect to Mr Lee, the players and officials will be wearing black armbands during the game and a minute’s silence will also be observed before the match.

Lions goalkeeper Hassan Sunny, who plays for Thai Premier League leaders Army United FC, said during his time in Thailand, everyone in the country was looking forward to the clash.

“Everyone in Thailand has been talking about the match as soon as it was announced earlier this year,” said Hassan. “Even when I was injured, I was interviewed by the Thai media on my thoughts for the match instead of my injury!”

“We will prepare well accordingly and do our best against them on Thursday,” he added.

The matches have been organised to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between both nations, and the first leg will take place in Thailand on Thursday (Mar 26), at the His Majesty the King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary, 5 December 2007 Sports Complex, 8pm Singapore time.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

March 26, 2015
Queue Starts From Padang Today Onwards

From 7am on Thursday (Mar 26), those wishing to pay final respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew at Parliament House should start lining up from the Padang.

A statement from the State Funeral Organising Committee said the public is advised to take public transport. “There will be a special lane at the Padang for the elderly, pregnant women, school children, families with children under 6-years-old and those with special needs,” the committee said.

“In view of the large crowd, a long waiting time can be expected. We seek the understanding of members of public to remain orderly and be patient, and to follow the directions of the marshals on the ground. Ground personnel will be distributing water to those waiting in line,” it added.

On Wednesday, tens of thousands queued up for hours in the hot sun, in lines snaking across Boat Quay to Hong Lim Park. What started out as three lines merged into one, and due to the overwhelming number of people, visitors were told not to bow in front of the coffin of Mr Lee, but to move along.

The waiting time for visitors at times went up to eight hours on Wednesday. As of midnight, it was down to 2.5 to 3 hours, after the committee announced Parliament House would remain open 24 hours, daily till 8pm on Saturday.

As of 10pm on Wednesday, 37,022 visitors have paid respects to Mr Lee Kuan Yew at Parliament House; 36,200 condolence cards issued, the Government said.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

March 26, 2015
MRT Train Services To Run 24 Hrs Today

MRT train services will run for 24 hours on Wednesday, so the public can travel to Parliament House to pay their respects to the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

This will be in line with the round-the-clock extended opening hours of the lying in state at Parliament House till 8pm on March 28.

On Wednesday, massive queues of people waiting to enter Parliament House formed around the civic district, stretching up to the Boat Quay area.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

March 25, 2015
Irsyad Beri Penghormatan Kepada Jenazah Bukan Muslim MUIS
Adab dan etika dalam perhubungan sesama insan penting dalam Islam. Ini termasuk dalam urusan kita bersama mereka yang masih hidup mahupun yang telah meninggal dunia.

Garis pandu Agama

– Memberi penghormatan sewajarnya kepada jenazah termasuk dalam ajaran etika agama. Nabi saw bersabda: “Apabila kamu melihat iringan jenazah, maka berdirilah menghormatinya sampai iringan jenazah itu lalu dan meninggalkan kamu atau sampai dia diletakkan dalam kubur.” (Hadis riwayat Imam Muslim).

– Antara ajaran Islam berkaitan memberi penghormatan kepada jenazah bukan Muslim ialah:
- MENGHADIRI UPACARA PENGHORMATAN JENAZAH
– Rasulullah saw menganjurkan supaya kita berdiri apabila jenazah lalu di hadapan kita sebagai tanda hormat.

– Dalam suatu hadis diriwayatkan bahawa

‘… Rasulullah saw telah berdiri apabila jenazah lalu di hadapan Baginda, maka telah diberitahu kepada Baginda bahawa jenazah itu ialah jenazah seorang Yahudi, Baginda menjawab: “Bukankah ia juga satu jiwa (yang layak diberi penghormatan)”.’ (Hadis riwayat Imam Bukhari).

– Oleh itu, kita dibolehkan menghadiri upacara penghormatan jenazah.

– Sekiranya terdapat ritual berunsur keagamaan dalam upacara itu, seseorang Muslim tidak boleh melakukan ritual itu.

– Bagi upacara umum yang tidak melibatkan unsur keagamaan dan seseorang hanya menundukkan kepalanya sedikit (tidak sehingga tahap rukuk atau sujud) sebagai tanda penghormatan kepada jenazah, perbuatan itu harus dan dibenarkan.
- MENYAMPAIKAN TAKZIAH
– Mengucapkan takziah kepada keluarga si mati dibolehkan. Kita juga digalak mendoakan kesejahteraan serta ketabahan buat ahli keluarganya.
- MENGINGATI KEBAIKAN
– Kita digalak mengingati kebaikan si mati, mengenang jasa dan pengorbanannya. “Apabila seseorang mengungkapkan kata-kata kesat terhadap jenazah, maka dia sebenarnya menyakiti mereka yang masih hidup.” (Hadis riwayat Imam At-Tirmizi).

Source: http://beritaharian.sg
March 25, 2015
Former US Secretary Of State Laments Lack Of Progress In Lasting Peace For Palestine

It’s not just Democrats and White House officials who’ve got problems with Benjamin Netanyahu.

Blasting “diplomatic missteps and political gamesmanship,” former Secretary of State James Baker laid in hard to the Israeli prime minister on Monday evening, criticizing him for an insufficient commitment to peace and an absolutist opposition to the Iran nuclear talks.

Baker told the gala dinner for the left-leaning Israeli advocacy group J Street that he supported efforts to get a deal with Tehran — but he called for President Barack Obama to bring any agreement before Congress, even though he may not legally be required to do so.

Baker, who was the chief diplomat for President George H.W. Bush and is now advising Jeb Bush on his presidential campaign, cited mounting frustrations with Netanyahu over the past six years — but particularly with comments he made in the closing days of last week’s election disavowing his support for a two-state solution and support for settlements strategically placed to attempt to change the borders between Israel and the West Bank.

“Frankly, I have been disappointed with the lack of progress regarding a lasting peace — and I have been for some time,” Baker said. And “in the aftermath of Netanyahu’s recent election victory, the chance of a two-state solution seems even slimmer, given his reversal on the issue.”

Baker said while Netanyahu has said he’s for peace, “his actions have not matched his rhetoric.”

Some Republicans in Congress have claimed Obama has eroded American support of Israel.

That’s wrong, too, Baker said.

“No one around the entire world should ever doubt America’s commitment to Israel, Not now, or at any point in the future,” he said.

Earlier in the day at the conference, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough reiterated Obama’s frustration with Netanyahu, saying that the administration is holding the prime minister to his comments ruling out a two-state solution — even though Netanyahu immediately began to walk those comments back the day after his Likud Party won a resounding number of seats in the Israeli Knesset.

Baker said he’s also holding to Netanyahu’s pre-election comments — and pointed out how out of sync he believes the Israeli leader is with his own country, and with Washington.

“Although Netanyahu and his right-and-center coalition may oppose a two-state solution, a land-for-peace approach has long been supported by a substantial portion of the Israeli body politic, by every American [administration] since 1967 — Republican and Democratic alike — and a vast majority of nations around the world,” Baker said.

As to Netanyahu’s opposition on Iran, Baker warned against seeking only a perfect deal.

“If the only agreement is one in which there is no enrichment, then there will be no agreement,” Baker said.

After all, Baker said, no military solution could work in his assessment: an American strike would only generate more support among Iranians for the fundamentalist government, and an Israeli strike would neither be as effective nor carry American support.

This isn’t the only tough moment in U.S.-Israeli relations, Baker said, recounting some of his own head-butting in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In those days, the administration was dealing with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, a hard-liner who referred to Netanyahu as “too soft,” according to Baker.

The danger now, Baker said, is the personalization and politicization of the disputes between the governments in Washington and Jerusalem.

“This is of course a delicate moment in the Middle East, and will require clear thinking from leaders,” Baker said. “That clear thinking should not be muddled by partisan politics.”

Source: www.politico.com

March 25, 2015