July / Augustus 2009 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

July / August 2009 

MITA 373/03/2001 

Your 

editorial committee 

wishes you a 

great summer 

holiday season! 

Special: 

Singaporeans 

in the Netherlands

yOu dOn’t have tO be dutch! 

Open h uSe 

Hollandse Club 

Saturday, 5 th September 2009 (10am-5pm) 

If you join any club when you move to Singapore, make it one that is friendly, family-orientated and fabulous. 

If you need further convincing that the Hollandse Club is the right fit for you and your family, 

try us out for size, comfort and affordability at our Open House. 

SINCE1908INSINGAPORE 

Attend the Open House and receive 

a 10% discount on entrance fee 

(valid from 5th September until 5th October 2009)* 

*terms and conditions apply 

Try before you buy! 

The day is full of classes and activities for you to try, including swimming, tennis, basketball, judo, bowling, yoga, 

fencing, kids hip hop and much more. So bring along your sports gear for this one day membership. We want you 

to experience what your days will be like in the club, and you can only do that if you try before you buy. 

Five tennis courts - two squash courts - swimming pool - basketball court - bowling alley - gym - function rooms - puppy room - spa - fine-dining restaurant Juliana’s 

vietnamese restaurant bun - belgian beer bar triple b - international selection of food and beverages on the terrace and in tradewinds bar 

For more details, email openhouse@hollandseclub.org.sg 

Hollandse Club, 22 Camden Park, Singapore 299814 - tel 6464 5225 - www.hollandseclub.org.sg

Prologue 

Dear Members, 

And so we are facing holidays again, after a hectic period, which is probably not yet over, 

we take our time to relax. 

Although for some the holidays may be just as hectic, with family visits etc etc. 

I think we can look back as ADB, on a very successful first half year, lots of interesting 

gatherings with a nice apotheose in the supreme court. 

Jan de Vegt 

For some board members the coming time will still be hectic as they are preparing the Annual 

Dinner and Dance, we have found again a great location and it promises to be another great 

evening. We made sure we can accommodate the every year bigger number of attendants, 

however make sure you book in time, as full is full. 

After the summer there will be other moments of truth, will the economy recover? There 

maybe signs, but a lot of ‘experts’ see still dark clouds. The question remains, who or what 

is the expert? The one with the brightest prediction or the one with the darkest? 

As we are going through a not yet seen before roller coaster ride, I think anything that can be 

said is crystal ball reading and a long as we have predictions from dark to bright, with all the 

grey colours in between, there will be somebody who is right in the end, which then comes out 

as a super expert, for me the chances of predicting what will happen in the coming months, 

is almost as likely to come out as predicting the six correct figures in the Dutch lotto. 

For some the coming weeks will not be relaxing, as the summer is traditionally a period where 

people move on to their next assignment, the boards of the ADB wishes all leaving members 

every success in their new endeavors and do not let moving spoil your holiday time. 

As said before, let’s take our time to relax, recharge the batteries in order to be able to 

cope with whatever the next half year will bring us. 

I wish you bright, pleasant and relaxing holidays and hope to see you all back at the 

Annual Dinner and Dance on 22 nd of August 2009. 

Jan de Vegt 

President 

‘ 

To share meaningful and business-related information amongst the Dutch 

business community in Singapore, whilst networking in a fun environment ’ 

Remco Muzerie 

Marie-Hélène 

Piederiet 

Ard Huisman 

Richard van der 

Werf 

Frank Kuijsters 

Marleen 

Dieleman 

Rutger Oudejans 

 

Vol.19 • No. 6 • July/August 2009

A monthly publication of the 

Association of Dutch Businessmen 

ADB Board 

Jan de Vegt 

Remco Muzerie 

Marie-Hélène Piederiet 

Ard Huisman 

Richard van der Werf 

Frank Kuijsters 

Marleen Dieleman 

Rutger Oudejans 

Editorial Committee 

Frank Kuijsters, Chief Editor 

Camiel Frijlink 

Gene Kwee 

Gwendy Krijger 

Karin Gerbens 

Lineke van Nederpelt 

Richard Soemita 

President 

Vice-President 

Honorary Secretary 

Honorary Treasurer 

Member 

Member 

Member 

Member 

C o n t e n t s 

Prologue 1 

Review 

The Supreme Court 3 

Business 

The workspace of... 5 

Bizz Agenda 5 

Secretariat 

Lineke van Nederpelt 

Mailing Address: 

c/o 22 Camden Park, Singapore 299814 

Telephone: 9101 6201 

email: adb@pacific.net.sg 

Website 

Email 

: www.adb.org.sg 

: webmaster@adb.org.sg 

Editorial contributions for the next issue may 

be sent or handed over to the ADB Secretariat, 

before or on the day of the monthly ADB 

meeting. The contents of this magazine are partly 

based on information received from third parties. 

The Committee does not take responsibility 

for the correctness of the articles. 

Designed by Jennifer Phua 

Printed by Khoo Sun Printing Pte Ltd 

MITA 373/03/2001 

Membership fee is S$ 100 per calendar year. 

For registration, please see the website www. 

adb.org.sg/en_member_signup.htm. 

Membership is renewed automatically effective 

the first month of the new calendar year. 

Make your cheque payable to “Assocation of Dutch 

Businessmen” and send to ADB, c/o 22 Camden 

Park, Singapore 299814. 

Termination of membership must be received by 

ADB Secretariat in writing before 1 January, 

otherwise you will be charged for the full amount 

for the following calendar year. 

Please notify the ADB secretariat of any changes in 

employer, (email) addresses or any other personal 

particulars that might be of interest to the ADB 

administration. 

Singapore 

Going Dutch in water management - 

Singapore International Water Week 2009 6 

Special 

NFIA office in Singapore 8 

Singaporean companies in the Netherlands 9 

Singapore representation in the Netherlands 12 

Proud to be Dutch - but do Singaporeans know why? 13 

Holiday in Holland* 

(meant here are “The Netherlands”) 14 

Fandi: Singaporean Soccer Succes in Holland 16 

Taste of Singapore back home... 17 

Accidental immigrant: The story of two 

Singaporean expats 18 

Conference Calendar 22 

Column by... 


Dutch Managers want…. 23 

Event Agenda 24 

Business News 26 

Embassy info 27 

association info 28 

 


Review 

The Supreme Court By Richard Soemita 

There was a high turn up of ADB members, close 

to 70. We started with a tour around the premises 

and were shown the hall where the High Court 

resides and 1 of the 5 technology courts with all 

its high-tech facilities. 

The Building 

In June 2005, the Supreme Court moved from the 

old Supreme Court and City Hall buildings into its 

new premises (72,000 m²) on 1 Supreme Court 

Lane. The current Supreme Court building was 

designed by British architectural firm Foster and 

Partners. 

The building was officially opened on January 

7, 2006. It accommodates 12 civil courts, 8 criminal 

courts, 3 appellate courts and accompanying suites 

of ancillary facilities. Each courtroom is located 

within a court block that also contains a hearing 

chamber where the judge may meet with counsel 

in private; a court conference room for discussions 

among lawyers and two witness rooms which serve 

as holding areas for witnesses. 

The design of the current Supreme Court 

building mirrors the Supreme Court’s organizational 

structure. The courtrooms where the High Court 

hearings take place are contained in the lower 

levels of the building, from levels 2 through 6. 

The Court of Appeal, the highest appellate court in 

the land, is symbolically raised to the apex of the 

building and houses at the centre of the disc. 

In addition to the court blocks, 8 registrars’ 

chambers, where a host of pre- and post-trial 

applications are heard, have been clustered on 

level 2 for the convenience of lawyers who may be 

required to attend before different registrars in the 

same day. The building showcases an abundance 

of glass in the atriums, skylights and lift shafts, 

signifying the ideal of transparency in the law. 

We than all gathered at 1 of the technology 

High Courts were a brief presentation was given: 

the Supreme Court of Singapore is one of the 2 

tiers of the court system in Singapore, the other 

tier being the Subordinate Courts. 

The Supreme Court consists of the Court of 

Appeal and the High Court and hears both civil and 

criminal matters. The Court of Appeal hears both 

civil and criminal appeals from the High Court. 

The Court of Appeal may also decide a point of 

law reserved for its decision by the High Court, as 

well as any point of law of public interest arising 

in the course of an appeal from a subordinate 

court to the High Court, which has been reserved 

by the High Court for the decision of the Court 

of Appeal. 

Criminal cases involving offences which carry 

the death penalty and generally those punishable 

with imprisonment for a term exceeding 10 years, 

are prosecuted in the High Court. 

Court structure 

The Supreme Court is made up of the Court of 

Appeal and the High Court, and hears both civil 

and criminal matters. The Supreme Court Bench 

consists of the Chief Justice, the Judges of Appeal, 

Judges and the Judicial Commissioners of the 

Supreme Court. The Supreme Court Registry is 

headed by the Registrar who is assisted by the 

Deputy Registrar, Senior Assistant Registrars and 

Assistant Registrars. Justices’ Law Clerks, who 

work directly under the charge of the Chief Justice, 

assist the Judges and Judicial Commissioners by 

carrying out research on the law, particularly for 

appeals before the Court of Appeal. 

Court of Appeal 

The Court of Appeal hears appeals against the 

decisions of High Court Judges in both civil and 

criminal matters. It became Singapore’s final 

court of appeal on 8 April 1994, when appeals to 

the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council were 

abolished. 

The Chief Justice sits in the Court of Appeal 

together with (normally 2) other Judges of Appeal. 

A Judge of the High Court may, on the request 

of the Chief Justice, sit in the Court of Appeal. 

The Court of Appeal is presided over by the Chief 

Justice or, in his absence, the Vice-President (if 

 


Review 

any) of the Court, or another Judge of Appeal. 

The first Vice-President of the court (Justice Chao 

Hick Tin) was appointed in April 2008, following 

the increase in the then number of Judges of 

Appeal to 3. 

The Court of Appeal is usually made up of a 

bench of 3 Judges. However, certain appeals, 

including those against interlocutory orders, may 

be heard by only 2 Judges. If necessary, the Court 

of Appeal may comprise 5 or any greater uneven 

number of Judges. 

High Court 

The High Court consists of the Chief Justice and the 

Judges of the High Court. A Judge of Appeal may 

also sit in the High Court as a Judge. Proceedings 

in the High Court are heard before a single judge, 

unless otherwise provided by any written law. 

The High Court may also appoint one or more 

persons with expertise in the subject matter of 

the proceedings to assist the court. 

The High Court hears both criminal and civil 

cases as a court of first instance. The High Court 

also hears appeals from the decisions of District 

Courts and Magistrate’s Courts in civil and criminal 

cases, and decides points of law reserved in special 

cases submitted by a District Court or a Magistrate’s 

Court. In addition, the High Court has general 

supervisory and revisionary jurisdiction over all 

subordinate courts in any civil or criminal matter. 

With a few limited exceptions, the High Court 

has the jurisdiction to hear and try any action 

where the defendant is served with a writ or 

other originating process in Singapore, or outside 

Singapore in the circumstances authorized by Rules 

of Court; or where the defendant submits to the 

jurisdiction of the High Court. Generally, except in 

probate matters, a civil case must be commenced 

in the High Court if the value of the claim exceeds 

S$250,000. Probate matters are commenced in 

the High Court only if the value of the deceased’s 

estate exceeds S$3,000,000 or if the case involves 

the resealing of a foreign grant. In addition, 

ancillary matters in family proceedings involving 

assets of S$1,500,000 or more are also heard in 

the High Court. 

The presentation was followed by a Q&A session 

that was hosted by Justice Mr Choo Han Teck. There 

were some very interesting questions amongst the 

crowd and the inevitable subject regarding caning. 

But all questions were answered and none that 

Mr Choo Han Teck could not handle. The evening 

was than concluded with drinks, finger food and 

networking in the Supreme Court Bistro. 

Justice Choo Han Teck 

Appointed Judicial Commissioner on 1 April 1995 

Appointed Judge on 2 January 2003 

Mr Choo graduated with a law degree from the University of Singapore in 1979. He started his legal career in 

1980 with the local law firm of Murphy & Dunbar. Mr Choo joined the Law Faculty of the National University 

of Singapore in 1984. He obtained his Master of Laws from Cambridge University in 1986 and proceeded 

to obtain the diploma in Trial Advocacy Teacher Teaching from Harvard University the same year. 

He left the Faculty of Law in 1988 to join the law firm of Allen & Gledhill. He became involved in 

medico-legal work again. He left to be one of the founding members of Helen Yeo & Partners in July 1992. 

Throughout his career, Mr Choo has served in an honorary capacity as legal adviser to various medical 

organisations. He was the honorary legal advisor to the Association of Private Medical Practitioners of 

Singapore from 1984 to 1994, the Singapore Medical Association from 1992 to 1995 and the Singapore 

Nurses Association from 1992 to 1995. 

Mr Choo has also lectured on various medico-legal subjects to the Faculty of Medicine, NUS and the 

College of General Practitioners. The subjects included “Professional Negligence” and “Professional 

Confidentiality”. He was also involved in various capacities in the postgraduate Practice Law Course, 

which is the course that all aspiring lawyers in Singapore have to go through. 

He was the Acting Director and also Chief Examiner in 1984. He was a lecturer and examiner in 

criminal procedure from 1985 to 1990. 

 


Business 

The workspace of… 

By Karin Gerbens 

What company do you work for, since 

when and what is your job? 

LexMar Engineering Pte Ltd – Together with 

Lex Barker I founded and built up LexMar 

Engineering. Until the end of 2007, I was Director 

and responsible for the financial, administrative 

and quality systems within LexMar and as from 

2008 I am Director/CEO and overseeing overall 

management. 

Where is your office located? 

In Loyang. 

Do you have a cubicle or office? 

I have an office. 

What is your view when you look outside of 

the window? 

Just one tree and the next building. Not very exiting 

but I have a nice painting in front of my desk to 

please the eye. 

Marieke Barker 

What is your favorite place to have lunch? 

There’s nothing in walking distance from our office but we have a canteen in the building where we 

usually eat our lunch brought from home (very Dutch !!). 

Whose workplace would you like to see in our next edition? 

Jaap Zwikker 

Bizz Agenda 

19 th Annual International 

Symposium of INCOSE & 

3 rd Asia-Pacific Conference on 

Systems Engineering 

18 July - 23 July 

Suntec 

www.incose.org/symp2009 

Stationery & OfficeLink 2009 

22 July - 24 July 

Suntec 

www.solfair.com 

Asian Investment Conference 

& Exhibition 2009 

An Investment Education Fair 

18 & 19 July 

Suntec 

www.asianinvestment.com.sg 

Singapore Toy, Games & 

Comic Convention 2009 

13 August - 16 August 

Suntec 

www.singaporetgcc.com 

Map Asia 2009 

Geospatial Information, Technology 

and Applications 

18 August - 20 August 

Suntec 

www.mapasia.org 

2009 Singapore • Ningbo 

Import & Export Fair 

26 August – 28 August 

Suntec 

www.nbfet.gov.cn 

 


Singapore 

Going Dutch in water management - 

Singapore International Water Week 2009 

By Camiel Frijlink 

Singapore and the Netherlands have one thing in 

common for sure: both countries are surrounded 

by sea, almost pancake flat and without doubt 

vulnerable to the rising sea levels many scientists 

predict global warming will cause. Anyone flying 

into Singapore can easily see that the elevation of 

the island gives reason for concern. The highest 

point in Singapore (Bukit Timah Hill) rises only 165 

meters above sea level. Most of the business-end 

of Singapore (Changi airport, the CBD and the busy 

container ports that form the heart of Singapore as 

a maritime trading hub) lie less than two meters 

above sea level. 

Considering the prospect of a long, slow 

submersion into the sea and the fact that the 

Dutch are known as the world’s greatest experts 

on the subject of battling back the sea, it is no 

wonder that Singaporeans show a big interest in 

Dutch water management. 

For example, Singapore frequently consults 

the Dutch to learn how it can build dikes. WL/Delft 

Hydraulics, a research institute and consulting 

firm specializing in water management issues has 

already assisted Singapore in converting its biggest 

river and marina into the Marina Barrage project, 

a huge reservoir providing both water supply and 

flood control. Now it is also helping Singapore in 

what it can do to defend its roughly 200 kilometer 

coastline. 

When it comes to research & development the 

Singaporeans and the Dutch co-operate closely 

as well. In 2007 the NUS, the Delft University of 

Technology, WL/Delft Hydraulics and the Public 

Utilities Board of Singapore (PUB) founded the 

Singapore Water Alliance. The SWA is located in 

one of the NUS buildings and has a budget of 64 

million dollar for five years. 

The close ‘water ties’ between the Netherlands 

and Singapore could be clearly observed at the 

Singapore International Water Week 2009, held 

last 22-26 June. Mayor Dutch commercial players 

in field of water management and of course our 

own ‘water’ Prince of Orange (in his capacity as 

chairman of the Advisory Board on Water and 

Sanitation of the UN) attended the event which 

was themed ‘Sustainable Cities – Infrastructure and 

Technologies for Water’. As a result of the current 

economical crisis the event, that provides a global 

platform for policymakers, industry leaders, 

experts and practitioners to address challenges 

and showcase technologies, was focused on the 

search for sustainable and cost-effective water 

management solutions. 

Part of the SIWW were the Water Leaders 

Summit (attended by 10 Dutch leaders and the 

Prince of Orange) and the opening of the Changi 

Water Reclamation Plant, Singapore’s largest and 

most advanced used water treatment facility by 

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. 

Water, the bridge between the Netherlands and Singapore 

 


Singapore 

This year’s edition of the SIWW also had a 

Dutch climax: professor Gatze Lettinga from 

the Wageningen University was awarded the 

prestigious Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2009 for 

his breakthrough – environmentally sustainable 

solutions for the treatment of used water using 

so called anaerobic technology. 

For his revolutionary achievement Professor 

Lettinga received a S$300,000 award certificate 

and a gold medallion during the award ceremony 

and banquet at the Istana, the official residence 

and office of the president of Singapore. 

Micro Solution To Macro Problem 

SOMETIMES, to win big, you need to think small. Take professor Gatze Lettinga 

from the Netherlands, who beat 39 others to win this year’s Lee Kuan Yew 

Water Prize. Using micro-organisms in an anaerobic environment, which is 

oxygen-free, Professor Lettinga’s treatment concept enables industrial used 

water to be purified cost-effectively, producing renewable energy, fertilisers 

and soil conditioners in the process. 

“Professor Lettinga’s invention has played an important role in addressing 

the world’s growing concern over finding environmentally sustainable 

solutions”, says Mr Tan Gee Paw, Chairman of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 

Nomination Committee. Mr Tan notes that Prof Lettinga’s decision not to patent 

his water treatment system means that “many developing countries now have 

access to a low cost, sustainable used water treatment system”. 

Prof Lettinga’s system generates energy savings of 30 to 40 per cent, and 

at the same time the process also produces methane, which the principal 

component in natural gas and can be used as a fuel to generate electricity. 

“I believe that innovative technologies for treating used water, waste and 

gas, especially those that focus on closing the loop and recovering resources, 

will contribute to more sustainable living, which the world urgently needs”, 

says Professor Lettinga, who was a professor of Environmental Technology until 

his retirement from Wageningen Agricultural University, in the Netherlands, 

in 2001.” (…) 

The Straits Times, 23 June 2009 

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Special 

NFIA office in Singapore 

October 26, 2007 marked the official opening of the Singapore office of the Netherlands Foreign Investment 

Agency (NFIA). The NFIA has been set up for the specific purpose of helping and advising foreign companies 

who wish to take advantage of the Dutch business environment as a strategic base to cover Europe. It 

provides information and practical assistance free of charge and on a confidential basis. The NFIA is an 

operational unit of the EVD, the agency for international business and cooperation, which in turn is part 

of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. 

Besides Singapore has the NFIA offices in Europe (HQ in The Hague, London), the US (New York, 

Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, San Mateo), Asia (Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, 

Seoul, New Delhi and Kuala Lumpur) and in the Gulf Region (Dubai). 

The NFIA in Singapore is located within the Dutch 

Embassy, the NFIA, headed by Area Director, Ms 

Linnie Mackenzie serves as the local base from which 

to assist Singapore companies venturing into the 

Netherlands and Europe. With her in the Singapore 

office is Ms Adeline Tan, Project Manager. Together 

they contact and liaise with local companies 

planning to expand, relocate or diversify their 

business in the Netherlands’ and the EU market. This 

is facilitated through one-on-one meetings, hosting 

of investment-related seminars, and dissemination 

of appropriate information to interested groups and 

at partnering networking platforms. The Netherlands 

is a relative small country, but like Singapore, it has 

much to offer to investors and business partners. 

Both the Singapore and the Netherlands have had 

important and rapidly growing trade and investment 

relations and, as foreign trade is an important 

driving force for the economic development of 

both countries, the NFIA plays an important role 

Linnie Mackenzie, Area Director in helping Singapore companies to internationalize 

and seize global opportunities. 

When asked Ms Mackenzie said that to date, 27 Singapore companies have operations 

in the Netherlands, with 6 more regional companies from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, 

Thailand and Vietnam in the works. The NFIA in Singapore works closely with partners like 

IE Singapore, the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce and the Singapore Business 

Federation. “Our aim is to provide local companies with a better understanding of the 

business landscape in the Netherlands and Europe, and link them with potential partners 

and networks to expand their businesses in overseas markets,” added Ms Mackenzie. 

Even in this economic downturn, many Singapore companies are still expressing keen 

interest in the Netherlands as a destination to jumpstart their European business showing 

that indeed the Netherlands has much to offer to Singapore companies! 

Adeline Tan, Project Manager 

For more information about the NFIA look at www.nfia-singapore.com 

 


Special 

Singaporean companies in 

the Netherlands 

As mentioned in the article of the NFIA there are 27 Singaporean companies who have their 

representation in the Netherlands, hereby an overview of these companies; 

Biosensors International PTE Ltd. - Biosensors B.V. 

Mr Lu founded the company in 1990 in Singapore. The Biosensors International group of companies 

develop, manufacture and market innovative medical devices for interventional cardiology and critical 

care procedures. Their aim is to improve patients’ lives through pioneering medical technology that 

pushes forward the boundaries of innovation. Biosensors B.V. in the Netherlands was established in 

1996. It is primarily responsible for the sale and trading of Critical Care products in Europe, Middle 

East and Africa. 

Accord Express Holdings PTE Ltd. - CJ Logistics Netherlands B.V. 

The company was founded in 1984 in Singapore. As of July 2006, Accord Express Holdings Pte. Ltd. was 

acquired by CJ GLS Corporation. Accord Express Holdings Pte. Ltd. operates as a logistics and freight 

forwarding company in Singapore and internationally. It offers a range of supply chain management solutions, 

such as door-to-door delivery services, including logistics, local distribution, freight forwarding, and 

warehousing, as well as other value-added services, including shipping and logistics information services. 

Accord Express Holdings Pte. Ltd. was founded in 1984 and has their headquartered in Singapore. 

CWT Commodities Pte Ltd - CWT Commodities (Rotterdam) B.V. 

CWT Commodities specializes in the handling and storage of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, soft 

commodities, plastics and petrochemical products. In the port of Rotterdam, CWT Commodities 

(Rotterdam) B.V. offers an LME approved warehouse with direct water access. CWT is licensed by 

the LME to store Aluminum, Aluminum Alloy, Copper, Lead, Nickel, Zinc and Tin in its Rotterdam 

warehouse. In Amsterdam CWT Sitos offers a modern and efficient warehouse complex in Westport, 

Amsterdam with direct water access. The warehouse facility is LIFFE approved for the storage of 

coffee and cocoa beans. CWT Sitos also has EKO license for the storage and handling of organic 

commodities. Other commodities stored and handled in Amsterdam are hazelnuts, peanuts, edible 

seeds and palm kernels. 

Dou Yee International PTE.Ltd - Dalcon Eurostat B.V. 

The investment holding company of the Dou Yee Group, it was established in 2001 to hold Dou Yee’s 

investments in a number of companies. The Dou Yee Group is locating around the world to give customers 

the fastest and most accessible products and services. Our group of companies is involved in the following 

businesses: Semiconductors, Electronics, Disk Drives, Capillaries, Pharmaceutical / Biomedical, Packaging 

and Security systems. In the Netherlands they are based in Deventer. 

Esco Micro Pte Ltd – Esco Europe 

Esco is recognized as a global player in containment, clean air and laboratory equipment technology. 

We are highly oriented towards the international marketplace, with distribution in more than 100 

countries and a direct presence in 10 of the key global markets. Esco represents innovation, forwardthinking 

design, coupled with the tradition of quality since 1978. Esco Europe is located in Leiden. 

 


Special 

Flextronics International - Flextronics Logistics B.V. 

Headquartered in Singapore, Flextronics is a leading Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider 

focused on delivering complete design, engineering and manufacturing services to automotive, computing, 

consumer digital, industrial, infrastructure, medical and mobile OEMs. Flextronics helps customers 

design, build, ship, and service electronics products through a network of facilities in 30 countries 

on four continents. 

ElectroTech Investments - Frencken Group B.V. and Optiwa B.V. 

ElectroTech Investments Limited is a Singapore incorporated international manufacturing group. It 

represents the ultimate holding company of the Frencken Group and Precico Group. Capitalizing 

on its European mechatronics and Asian electronic assembly experiences, the group is converging 

towards higher value added projects and new combinations of engineering technologies. ElectroTech 

services a broad spectrum of customers - most of whom are renown in their own field of expertise 

and markets. ASML, Bayer, Canon, FEI, Motorola, Neopost, Phillips, Sony and Xerox count among a 

list of ElectroTech customers. The other Dutch affiliate based in Reuver operates under the name 

Optiwa BV. Optiwa was established in 1957 and employs around 100 people. 

Goodpack Limited - Goodpack Europe B.V. 

Goodpack Limited owns and operates the world’s largest fleet of Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC). 

Goodpack IBC provides a returnable packaging solution through the renting or hiring of a multi modal, 

returnable IBC that is designed for packing and transporting bulk cargo. Goodpack IBC can be rented 

locally and de-hired globally in over 50 countries worldwide. Major customers of Goodpack include major 

tire manufacturers, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies and chemical companies. Goodpack 

IBC are used in over 50 countries worldwide and our operations span the globe in areas such as Africa, 

Asia, Europe, Middle East, North America, Oceania and South America. 

Hyflux Ltd - Hyflux CEPAration B.V. 

Hyflux Ltd began in 1989 as Hydrochem (S) Pte Ltd, a trading company selling water treatment systems 

in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia and later, China. A little more than a decade later, Hyflux Ltd 

became the first water treatment company to be listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange in January 

2001. Today, Hyflux has grown beyond just a water treatment company. It is recognised as Asia’s leading 

environmental company. Specialising in membrane technologies, Hyflux is an integrated solutions 

provider offering services that include design development, pilot testing, systems integration, and 

engineering, procurement and construction. It is also engaged in the commissioning, operation and 

maintenance of a wide range of water and liquid treatment systems on a turnkey or Design-Build- 

Own-Operate (DBOO) arrangement. 

Keppel Integrated Engineering - Keppel Seghers Holdings B.V. and Keppel 

Seghers Netherlands B.V. 

KIE is the environmental technology and engineering division of Keppel Corporation Ltd, a leading 

company in Singapore, which is listed in the stock exchange. KIE provides total solutions, from advanced 

technologies, to the design & construction of plants and equipment; as well as maintenance & operations 

of these plants. 

Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Head Office) - Keppel Verolme B.V. 

Since 1 July 2002 the well known Dutch company Verolme got a new name: Keppel Verolme. Keppel 

Verolme’s core business is the conversion and modification of floating offshore units. Keppel Verolme 

is a multiflexible organisation; professional expertise and management guarantees solutions for the 

most complex projects. Shiprepair activities, as supporting business, are related to vessels up to 

500.000 DWT, as well as in port repairs. 

Olam International Ltd - Olam Europe B.V. 

Olam is a Global leader in the supply chain management of agricultural products and food ingredients. 

They operate an integrated supply chain for 14 products, with a direct presence in 56 countries 

employing over 8000 people and selling to over 4000 customers in 60 end markets. 

10 


Special 

STATS ChipPAC Ltd. - Stats Chippac, Inc. 

STATS ChipPAC Ltd. is a leading service provider of semiconductor packaging design, bump, probe, 

assembly, test and distribution solutions. STATS ChipPAC provides fully integrated, multi-site, endto-end 

packaging and testing solutions that bring products to the market faster. They are a leader 

in mixed signal testing and advanced packaging technology for semiconductors used in diverse end 

market applications including communications, consumer and computing. 

With advanced process technology capabilities and a global manufacturing presence spanning 

Singapore, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan, STATS ChipPAC has a reputation 

for providing dependable, high quality test and packaging solutions. Corporate headquarters are 

located in Singapore. 

PSA Singapore Terminals 

PSA Singapore Terminals is the flagship terminal of PSA International, one of the leading global port 

groups, with investments in 28 port projects in 16 countries across Asia, Europe (eg. Rotterdam) and the 

Americas. In 2008, the Singapore Terminals handled 29.0 million TEUs of containers while the Group’s 

global throughput was 63.2 million TEUs. 

PSA Singapore Terminals is the world’s busiest transhipment hub, handling about one-fifth of the 

world’s total container transhipment throughput, and 6% of global container throughput. It is also one 

of the world’s largest refrigerated container (reefer) ports with over 5,000 reefer points, handling more 

than a million reefers in 2008. 

PSA Singapore Terminals provides shippers with an excellent choice of 200 shipping lines with 

connections to 600 ports in 123 countries. This includes daily sailings to every major port in the world. 

It was voted the “Best Container Terminal Operator (Asia) for the 20 th time at the 2009 Asian Freight 

& Supply Chain Awards, and “Container Terminal Operator of the Year” at the Lloyd’s List Asia Awards, 

for the 8 th time in 2008. 

Venture Corporation 

Founded in 1984, the Venture group comprises about 40 companies with global clusters of excellence 

in South-East Asia, North Asia, America and Europe (eg. Rotterdam), and employs more than 14,000 

people worldwide. In 2008, Venture achieved sales of S$3.8 billion with annual earnings exceeding 

S$160 million. With an excellent track record, strong engineering expertise and experience, Venture 

is undisputedly a first class electronics services provider. Today, top Fortune 500 companies including 

Agilent Technologies, HP, IBM, Intermec, as well as other multinational companies have chosen Venture 

as the strategic partner for their long term manufacturing needs. 

Other Singaporean organisations that are based in the Netherlands are: 

eSys Distribution 

Hock Aik Trading Pte Ltd - Euro Hout Holding B.V. 

Ocean Financial Pte Ltd - Europe Asia Bank N.V. 

Khokhar International Traders Pte. Ltd 

Kuok Oils & Grains - KOG Edible Oils B.V. 

KS Energy - Selective Manpower Services B.V. 

Survey Instrument Services Pte Ltd - Horizon Instruments B.V. 

Senao Communications - Senao Communications Europe 

Singapore Airlines Ltd. 

International SOS Pte Ltd - SOS (Netherlands) B.V. 

Tian Mei Holding Pte Ltd - Tian Mei International B.V. 

Tru-Marine Pte Ltd - Turbo Engineering B.V. 

11 


Special 

Singapore 

Embassy, Brussels 

The Singapore Government established 

diplomatic relations with Belgium on 10 th 

October 1966, with the Netherlands on 7 th 

December 1965, and with Luxembourg on 

17 th March 1975. 

The Embassy was established in May 1972. 

Presently, it is accredited to Belgium, the 

Netherlands, Luxembourg and the European 

Communities. The Embassy is based in 

Brussels. 

More info at singemb_bru@sgmfa.gov.sg 

Consul-General, 

Rotterdam 

The Government of the Republic of Singapore, with 

the agreement of the Kingdom of Netherlands, has 

appointed Mr John Paul Broeders as Singapore’s 

Honorary Consul-General in Rotterdam, Netherlands 

in August 2008. Mr Broeders, 44, has a Masters 

Degree in Business Administration from Groningen 

University, Netherlands. In January 2006, Mr 

Broeders was appointed the Chairman of the 

Executive Board of Royal Vopak in Rotterdam. Prior 

to his current appointment, Mr Broeders was the 

Managing Director of Vopak Terminals Singapore 

Pte Ltd, President of Vopak Asia Pte Ltd, Director 

of the Logistics Institute in Singapore, and a Board 

Member of the International Chamber of Commerce 

in Singapore. 

John Paul Broeders is a former ADB Member. 

Singapore Netherlands Association 

More than a decade ago, a group of Singaporean businessmen and restaurant owners in the Netherlands 

wanted to form an alliance and a recreational club to call their own. And on 10 th July 1991, Singapore 

Netherlands Association (now fondly known as SNA) was officially founded in Rotterdam. SNA has come 

a long way, burrowing through many criticism and growing stronger with each obstacle that comes their 

way. SNA aims to organise a minimum of four events annually for its members. Today the executive board 

members manage SNA, working voluntarily to carry out the following aims and goals of SNA. 

The goals are: 

• to initiate social, cultural, recreational and educative activities for and amongst her members 

• to create opportunities for the members to meet up and introduce one-another 

• to serve as a link between Singapore and the Netherlands 

• to offer help and assistance for the members 

• to undertake social and charity activities for the well being for the members and others. 

More info at www.sna-org.nl 

12 


Special 

Proud to be Dutch - 

but do Singaporeans know why? 

By Gene Kwee 

As an Indonesian born Dutch national with Chinese 

heritage and raised in the Netherlands, I consider 

myself to be very Dutch. After giving some thought, 

I must say that the roots of this must be the way 

we have been brought up and the formative years 

spent in the Netherlands. 

The adventurous nature of the Dutch has 

always been very evident. I do not know why, 

but the Dutch have, historically been never shy 

to work and perform their duties in other parts 

of the world far away from home. Even since the 

early days, you would be able to find the Dutch 

‘working abroad’, whether being the Batavieren 

acting as bodyguards of the Roman emperor Nero 

or the VOC traders establishing the trade monopoly 

between Europe and Asia in the 17 th century. Even 

nowadays, everywhere you go you are bound to 

meet the Dutch. 

Having said this, I have been wondering 

whether it is instilled in the Dutch entrepreneurial 

spirit that we want to venture, explore and conquer 

the world or are we just proud to be Dutch and that 

we want to show the rest of the world that we are 

to be reckoned with. 

As to find out what sort of an impression the 

Dutch and/or the Netherlands would have left to the 

rest of the world for its achievements, I interviewed 

a few Singaporeans at random at different places 

and asked them the following questions. When 

hearing the answers some did made me feel proud 

to be Dutch and some did make me feel small. 

To the question of what is the capital of the 

Netherlands, the answer ranged between a timid 

‘is it Holland or Amsterdam(?)’ to a very confident 

Amsterdam. 

Not surprisingly, the tulips, windmills and 

wooden shoes were mentioned as the first thing 

that would come to mind when thinking of 

the Netherlands. However, there was one that 

immediately mentioned the concept of ‘total 

football’. I must say, I was very surprised about 

the bliss and joy the answer gave me. On the other 

hand, I could have expected the answer coming 

from a colleague, as we have been talking about 

football more than once before. 

To take it one step further, I asked whether 

they would be interested to live and work in the 

Netherlands. Notwithstanding the fact that some 

may have thought Holland is believed to the capital 

of the Netherlands, the general answer was that 

they all would love to live in the Netherlands. Others 

felt that they would welcome the opportunity to 

work and/or live in the Netherlands because of 

the nice weather(?), of the lower pace of work(?). 

Though, eyebrows were raised 

when I informed them that, at 

work, a 30 minute lunch break was 

considered more than sufficient. 

To my quest of how well known 

the Netherlands and the Dutch 

are in Singapore, I asked whether 

they could name any Dutch 

celebrities, artists or athletes. I 

did not expect them to know the 

Toppers, Andre Hazes, Dolly Dots, 

Willeke Alberti, Golden Earrings 

or Shocking Blue but there must 

be somebody they know. None 

of them were mentioned, but 

fortunately, one brought consolation as he named 

me on the spot without any hesitation nine players 

of the current national Dutch soccer team. 

As my dented pride needed to be restored, I 

went on to ask for an easy question. Whether they 

could name me some Dutch MNC’s in Singapore. I 

had high hopes for this one, as on top of my head 

there are the two royal Dutch companies having 

established fair presence in Singapore (one in the 

oil and gas industry and one in the fast moving 

consumer goods company) or for the beer drinking 

group of people I would have guessed that if you 

would be drinking beer may be able to name one. 

I’m happy to inform you that I was not disappointed 

by the responses received. Twenty percent of the 

respondents indeed mentioned at least one of the 

above. One respondent, who recently got engaged 

even mentioned the name of diamond company in 

Amsterdam. 

Finally I asked about the Dutch cuisine. Can 

you name five typical Dutch dishes/snacks. The 

answers I got were sate, stroopwafels, cheese, 

milk and cookies. 

I’m the first to acknowledge that the above poll 

was unstructured and for sure not conducted as 

Maurice de Hond would have done, but nonetheless 

the above proofs that the Netherlands and the 

Dutch can take pride in the positive impression 

about the country and the people. Therefore, let 

us all acknowledge that we are who we are and 

that our small country is what it is. Regardless 

whether our little froggy country is known for the 

weather, tulips, windmills, wooden shoes, great 

soccer team, sate, stroopwafels, cheese, milk and 

cookies, to me, we all feel connected in our own 

way with the Netherlands and we can feel proud 

for being Dutch for our very personal reasons. For 

this gained insight, I would thank the respondents 

for their contributions. 

13 


Special 

Holiday in Holland* 

(meant here are “The Netherlands”) By Karin Gerbens 

Some years ago, just before leaving for Asia, my 

friends took me to the Zaanse Schans – in order 

to be a tourist in my own country and to keep 

some sweet memories of our Dutch culture. While 

walking along the wind mills, cute little houses and 

the first Albert Heijn we noticed that we were the 

only non Asian people there… Left and right we saw 

Japanese, Chinese and Korean tourists running out 

of their tour buses, snapping some pictures of each 

other standing in front of a windmill - while making 

a peace sign - and jumping back in the bus with a 

handful of souvenirs. While we took our time to 

walk around and sit down on a ‘gezellig terrasje’, 

they were probably already floating the Amsterdam 

canals before rushing into a diamond house tour. 

The next day, they most likely continued their 

holiday in Brussels, Paris or Cologne. 

While I realize that these packages are a 

great opportunity to see as much countries as you 

can in a very short time (Switzerland, Germany, 

Netherlands and France within ten days including 

the flight to and from Asia is not an exception) 

and a great option if this is your only chance to 

visit Europe, you still miss out on a lot of things. 

So therefore, for those Singaporeans staying in 

the Netherlands (and those Dutch going back 

home for a long holiday) some tips for tourism 

in the Netherlands that are not included in these 

standard package trips. 

Amsterdam is famous for its many canal tours 

where you can see the most beautiful houses along 

the canals – but only from the outside. To learn 

more about the history and to actually go in, join a 

“grachtenpanden” walk. Since 2000, Urban Home 

& Garden Tours organizes walking tours where you 

will see five or six different houses, gardens and 

patios (’hofjes’). The tours take place from April 

to October, are conducted in Dutch and English 

and last 2,5 to 3 hours. The Historical Museum in 

Amsterdam also organizes several walking tours 

in Amsterdam, Leiden, Enkhuizen and Haarlem 

where you can learn more about the history of 

these cities. 

More about the rich history of the Netherlands 

can be experienced by visiting one of the many 

castles that are open for public. The castles can 

14 


Special 

be found all over the Netherlands and reflect 

different times in history – from the Middle Ages, 

the Renaissance and the Baroque time. To name a 

few: Kasteel Hoensbroek (built around 1250 and 

one the biggest castles in the Netherlands), Paleis 

Soestijk (the former queen’s palace) and Slot 

Loevestein (built in the 14 th century, and famous 

for its history). 

For fans of (Dutch) football, several of the 

Premier League (Eredivisie) clubs offer tours in 

their stadiums. Go and see the Kuip, discover why 

everybody is arguing about the grass in the Arena 

or see the Gelredome, to name a few. 

If you rather be active yourselves, there is also 

a range of things to do. How about a ‘step’ tour 

through the dune areas near Haarlem? You will 

not get lost while these ‘steps’ are equipped with 

GPS systems. The tour will take you to Haarlem, 

Overveen and Bloemendaal. Or how about a 

walking tour with a donkey in Limburg? There are 

several routes and distances, you can choose from 

one day walking to several days walking through 

the hilly landscapes of Limburg. 

Schokland, listed on Unesco’s World Heritage 

list, is a former island in the ‘Zuiderzee.’ Nowadays 

it ‘s an open air museum giving a good insight of 

the life in the 19 th century and the struggle against 

the water. You can rent a bike or make a walk, 

and the Schokland museum organizes several 

activities for children. 

Finally, when you are in search of some ‘typical 

Dutch’ things, here are a few suggestions. There 

are several wooden shoe factories (klompen 

makers) where they still practice the old crafts of 

wooden shoe making. You may also visit a cheese 

maker and taste the real Gouda or Edammer 

cheese. But less known perhaps are the cow 

museum and the jenever museum. 

When travelling through the Netherlands, 

you will come across the typical Dutch cows. In 

Southwest Friesland, you can actually visit the 

only cow museum in the Netherlands, where they 

claim to have almost everything there is to know 

about cows. 

The typical drink ‘jenever’ can be found in 

Schiedam – the jenever city of the Netherlands. 

In the Golden Century, Jenever became a popular 

drink and several distilleries started operating, 

but because of the smell of the distilling process, 

the distilleries were soon moved to the outskirts. 

And so the jenever distilleries of Rotterdam moved 

to Schiedam. In the museum you can learn more 

about the background of this still popular drink. 

It may be clear, there are many options to go 

off the beaten track during your holidays in the 

Netherlands, and there is so much more to see 

than the package trips will show you. Enjoy! 

More information about the tips 

mentioned in this article: 

Urban Home & Garden Tours Amsterdam 

www.uhgt.nl 

Walking tours 

www.amsterdamcitywalks.com 

World of Ajax tour 

www.amsterdamarena.nl 

Feijenoord tour Rotterdam 

www.dekuip.nl 

Vitesse Tour Arnhem 

www.vitesse.nl 

Step tour in Kenemerland 

www.stepverhuurhaarlem.nl 

Walk with a Donkey 

www.intniet.nl 

Schokland 

www.schokland.nl 

Cow museum 

www.koeienmuseum.nl 

Jenever in Schiedam 

www.jenevermuseum.nl 

15 


SPECIAL 

Fandi: Singaporean Soccer 

Succes in Holland By Camiel Frijlink 

Fandi in his FC 

Groningen shirt 

Ever heard of a Singaporean named Fandi Ahmad? 

If you are Singaporean or originally from Groningen 

and like football, no doubt you have. 

Fandi Ahmad was born in Singapore on 29 

May 1962 as the son of Ahmad Wartam, who was 

goalkeeper in the 1960s for Singapore’s national 

football team. The scruffy kampong boy from Kaki 

Bukit got his first pair of football shoes when he 

was 12. You would think he would have got his 

shoes earlier or even been born wearing them, 

however early in his career (he started playing for 

school at 10) he wore hockey shoes with rubber 

studs until his father could afford a new pair of 

Adidas Inter. 

Fandi was so talented that he joined Singapore’s 

national football team in 1978 at the age of 16 

— the youngest player to have done so (however 

his record was erased in 2007 by young talent 

Hariss Harun). 

In 1983 the slender Singaporean, gifted with 

loads of technical skills, moved to the Netherlands 

where he played for FC Groningen from 1983 to 

1985 and – for a short period – for Ajax in the Dutch 

football league. Prior to his arrival, FC Groningen 

had qualified for European football for the first 

time and they had even beaten almighty Atletico 

Madrid in the first round. On 19 October 1983, Fandi 

scored his most glorious goal in the 89th minute of 

a UEFA Cup match for FC Groningen against Inter 

Milan. Inter’s goalkeeper that day was Walter 

Zenga, Uomo-Ragna (Spiderman), who played for 

Italy in two World Cups, and still holds the record 

for number of minutes (508) without conceding a 

goal. During the 1983-84 season, Fandi scored 10 

times in 29 games and was consequently called 

an exotical “goudvink” by Voetbal International 

magazine. In his second season at FC Groningen, 

Fandi made 15 appearances, scoring 2 goals. 

Fandi is still the only Singaporean player that 

has been pursued by European and South American 

clubs (Ajax, FC Groningen, Nottingham Forest, 

Boca Juniors) and played for some of them (Ajax, 

FC Groningen, OFI Crete). In 1993 Fandi returned 

to Singapore to play for the Singapore side in the 

Malaysian League and in 1994 he and his team 

‘took the double’ by winning both the Malaysian 

League and Malaysia Cup. Nottingham Forest made 

an informal enquiry about his availability in the 

late-1990s, but Fandi decided he was too old. 

Today Fandi is coach of the Indonesian club 

Pelita Jaya, based in Jakarta and currently holding 

a third position in the Liga Indonesia, on a threeyear 

contract that expires this year. Like a truly 

‘football playboy’ he is married to South African 

former model Wendy Jacobs, has 5 children and 

shuttles to and from the Indonesian capital. 

Considering his career it is no wonder that Fandi 

is believed by many to be Singapore’s best-ever 

football player. Fandi also made a big impact on 

the Groningen fans and hence was voted one of 

the best 25 players ever to play for FC Groningen 

in 1999, earning him a place in the club’s Hall of 

Fame. In 2003, he was named in the club’s best 

eleven of the twentieth century. 

On the sidelines between Marco Van Basten 

and John van ‘t Schip 

Playing against Westlandia (Naaldwijk) in is 

short period at Ajax 

1983: Farewell: Fandi throws his No. 17 

shirt to fans at the National Stadium 

before leaving for FC Groningen. 

16 


Special 

Taste of Singapore back home... 

By Karin Gerbens 

Like (almost) every Dutch person living abroad, 

I too sometimes crave for Dutch food like real 

‘bitterballen’ (instead of bitterballen with a 

cinnamon taste), a portion of ‘Boerenkool’ or a 

‘bitterkoekje’ with my tea (I don’t like cheese, 

so no craving there….). To cope with these 

moments longing for a taste from home, I (friendly 

though persistent) ask people from Holland who 

come to visit us to bring things like hagelslag, 

Calve peanutbutter and –for the hubby – Gouda 

Cheese. 

But what would a Singaporean in the Netherlands 

do when he or she has a mouthwatering moment 

while thinking of East Coast chili-crab and the 

nation-wide famous hawker stalls? Although many 

cuisines have found their way into the Netherlands 

– from Afghan to Korean and from Jamaican to 

Vietnamese restaurants – I have never seen or 

heard about such a thing as ‘the Singaporean’. 

Curious to know whether this phenomenon 

exists, I started to surf the internet (while not 

physically able to search a restaurant in the 

Netherlands…). The only restaurant I could find is 

an Indonesian restaurant offering also ‘Malaysian 

and Singaporean flavors’. Maybe there are more 

restaurants but I just cannot find them. Or maybe 

it is too difficult to find the ‘Singaporean’ because 

it is hard to define what the Singaporean cuisine 

actually is. 

Singapore food is – similar to its history and 

culture - influenced by its many diverse people 

and ethnicities. The Singaporean cuisine is a rich 

mixture of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Indonesian 

food and spices. In a regular food court, you can 

find the nasi goreng next to the Chinese Dim Sums 

and near the lamb curry. And if you look at it that 

way, it shouldn’t be so hard being Singaporean in 

the Netherlands. You can find Asian restaurants 

serving these kinds of dishes everywhere, and 

even the Albert Heijn sells oriental spices, instant 

mee and kecap. 

But we also all know that the Dutch way 

of preparing Asian food is different, and so is 

the taste, from the way here we can enjoy it 

over here. Ah well… it is probably the same as 

the issues we have with 

the Asian version of 

‘bitterballen’, it is just 

not the real thing. And 

that it sometimes makes 

us wanting to go back… 

Tip for Dutch abroad: 

go to www.dutchtaste. 

com for online ordering 

o f t y p i c a l D u t c h 

products. 

SALVAGE ASIA PTE LTD 

12A Jln Samulun • Singapore 629131 • Tel : +65 6591 5288 • Fax : +65 6591 5289 • www.ttbisso.com • info@ttbisso.com 

17 


Special 

Accidental immigrant: 

The story of two Singaporean expats 

By Frank Kuijsters 

The first story is from Mrs Jansen who already lives in the Netherlands 

for 8 years and the second story is from Ms Loh who is going to live in 

the Netherlands in the near future. 

The Netherlands has been good to Singaporean 

expat Mrs. Jansen, who has been living there for 

eight years. That isn’t to say everything is pictureperfect, 

but being an expat in Holland has been 

a positive experience for her overall. Here she 

describes what she likes and dislikes about being 

a Singaporean expat in the Netherlands. 

Where were you born? 

Singapore 

In which country and city are you living 

now? 

I live in a town called Geleen in the province of 

Limburg in the south of The Netherlands. 

Are you living alone or with your family? 

I live with my husband and 4-year-old daughter. 

How long have you been living in the 

Netherlands? 

This summer will be my 8 th year here. 

What is your age? 

33 

When did you come up with the idea of 

living in Holland? 

I met my Dutch-born husband in Singapore 2001 

and we decided I would move here after we got 

married. His job was better paying than mine 

and plus he had already owned a house so it made 

more sense for me to come here than for us to 

have to start from square one in Singapore. 

Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit? 

We were married first in Singapore and I have the 

advantage of coming from a first world country 

so there were no bureaucratic hang ups. That 

being said, there was a lot of paperwork and a 

long waiting time, which I have since found out is 

normal here. I made it just in time before 9/11, 

after which they have made it extremely difficult 

and a lot more tedious. 

How do you make your living in Holland? Do 

you have any type of income generated? 

My lack of prowess for the Dutch language and the 

dialect made it difficult for me to get a job, any 

job. I even tried housekeeping and it only lasted 

a day. My luck changed in 2004 when I got a job as 

an assistant archivist with an aircraft maintenance 

company through an employment agency. They 

needed someone with a strong command of 

English to help in their archives department and 

to communicate with their counterparts in other 

parts of the English-speaking world. 

I didn’t even bother trying to speak Dutch at 

the interview and it did the trick because I beat 

out several other candidates, all Dutch natives. 

I have been told by many people that if I live in 

the Randstad area it would not have been a 

problem getting a job. 

Do you speak Dutch and do you think it’s 

important to speak the local language? 

I had tried to learn Dutch in Singapore with private 

classes but a skill is useless unless it is being 

used and I had to wait for another half a year 

18 


Special 

before I could begin my ‘inburgeringscursus’ (a 

mandatory integration course for all immigrants 

to the Netherlands where we were supposed to 

be taught how to integrate but it was just mostly 

learning the language). In the meantime, I went 

for private lessons once a week and whilst it did 

give me an edge during my first level of Dutch 

classes. The one teacher I had, my husband, was 

a very bad (language) one and could never explain 

to me the rules of grammar and vocabulary in 

the Dutch language so I didn’t learn as fast as I 

could have. 

I never hesitated to learn the language as I 

come from a multi-racial country so I understand 

the importance of knowing another language to 

be able to communicate with your friends and 

neighbours. Unfortunately, my progress was 

hindered by the locals I met who all spoke the 

provincial dialect. 

Do you miss home and family? 

I think it is very natural to miss home the first few 

years but I missed my independence most of all. 

I was used to getting things done on my own and 

here I had to wait for my husband for every little 

thing until I learnt enough to do it on my own. As 

a food lover, I miss our local cuisines the most as 

we have almost everything from Italian pasta to 

Chinese wok (the real deal and not the horrible 

stuff they serve in Chinese eateries here). I miss 

hanging out with my friends at the food centres 

and stuffing our faces until our belts burst. You 

can’t eat like that here. I used to love going to 

the movies and dinner every Saturday night but 

eating out is expensive here so if I go the movies, 

I can only afford coffee afterwards. 

Do you have other plans for the future? 

The Netherlands has been good to me and I have 

had a happy, good life since I moved here but I do 

hope to move to another country in the future, 

preferably one with a warm climate but still 

within the confines of the continent. I don’t rule 

out returning to my homeland but only if things 

change for the better there. 

What do you think about the Dutch? 

Prior to coming here, I had met some of my 

husband’s friends who were kind enough to travel 

to Singapore for our wedding and they were all 

warm, friendly and kind people. It gave me a false 

illusion of the real Dutch person and thus, I am 

still not used to the brash honesty and ‘in-yourface’ 

approach the Dutch have. It’s hard to not 

take it personally when they are so blatant and 

for someone who wasn’t raised in this culture, we 

aren’t as quick to retaliate. I get the ‘honesty-isthe-best 

policy’ bit but they should realise that 

it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. 

The Dutch are sticklers for their tradition and 

culture and get very offended if you break them. 

You have to make an appointment for everything, 

even just a simple visit, which leaves no room for 

flexibility and spontaneity, two fun virtues sorely 

lacking here. If I need something, even help, I 

have to ask for it and whilst it’s quite alright to 

ask for some things, I get tired of having to ask for 

everything all the time so I have stopped asking 

altogether. They should also realise that it’s nice 

to be asked, even if once in a while. Whilst they 

like to think of themselves as friendly, they are, but 

only to the people who are similar to them. Being 

friendly and being left-wing is two different things 

but the Dutch like to think of them as the same. 

What are the positive and negative aspects 

of living in the Netherlands? 

It is a child-friendly country with generous 

maternity packages and a comprehensive and 

balanced education system (students get every 

Wednesday afternoons off). There are also many 

alternatives for education after the mandatory 

secondary school so if one is not academically 

inclined; it is not the end of the world for them, 

unlike back in Singapore. They have tough 

recycling laws here which sit well with ecologically 

conscious people like me. I also prefer the absence 

of the paper chase and/or appearances upkeep 

and altogether rat face which haunted me back 

in Singapore. The pace of life (at least here in 

suburbia) is slow and unexciting which is perfect 

if you want to raise a family but unfortunate if 

you are a young adult with an active social life. 

Customer service here is probably the worst 

in the world (I have seen cashiers chatting with 

each other whilst I’m waiting in line to make a 

purchase) so shopping isn’t exactly a joy. Living 

costs are high because of the taxes. For those 

who love varied cuisines, there aren’t many here 

and most ‘exotic’ restaurants amend their food to 

adapt to the Dutch taste buds. The Dutch refuse 

to eat anything the least bit spicy or the least bit 

different and dining out is very expensive. 

The Dutch have a long history of tolerance 

towards immigrants but just because it is easy for 

immigrants to enter and stay in the country (not 

anymore), doesn’t mean it will be an easy period. 

They have an uncomfortable relationship with 

immigrants here and on the whole, they are just 

basically tolerating them because they have to. 

They have a high opinion of themselves because 

they are admired internationally for their leftwing 

politics but that has caused them a lot of 

trouble in recent years and tides are turning. 

The Dutch 

are sticklers for 

their tradition and 

culture and get 

very offended 

if you break them. 

You have to make 

an appointment 

for everything, 

even just a simple 

visit, which 

leaves no room 

for flexibility and 

spontaneity, two 

fun virtues sorely 

lacking here. 

19 


Special 

I was truly appreciative and moved by his sincerity 

for making further plans for our relationship and his 

tenacity to support me through the challenges that 

I will be facing. In addition, I felt a spontaneous 

strength of wanting to support him in fulfilling 

his paternal responsibility to his lovely kids. 

Piecing all these factors together, we decided 

together to relocate to Holland with the company 

consent. Bang!…..the decision was made and 

there we go! 

Ms Caroline Loh who is still living in the Singapore 

and is waiting for her visa will move in the near 

future to the Netherlands. We asked her several 

questions about her move to the Netherlands. 

Where were you born? 

Singapore 

In which country and city are you going 

to live? 

Holland, Zwijndrecht 

Are you living alone or with family? 

With my boyfriend 

Any idea how long you are going to live 

there? 

About 3 years 

What is your age? 

38 

When did you come up with the idea of 

living in Holland? 

My Dutch-born boyfriend was approached by his 

company to relocate to their head office in Oslo. At 

this time however, his two sons (from his previous 

marriage) are in their growing phase and need their 

father’s presence more than before despite his 

travel to Holland to spend time with them every 

4-6 weeks. He was then confronted with these 

issues and had to make some decisions. 

My boyfriend felt very responsible over his 

job, his sons’ needs and our relationship. He was 

uncertain if I would give up everything to leave 

with him and worried if I would be able to adapt 

in Europe. We discussed the various possibilities. 

Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit, 

what did you need to do to obtain it? 

I needed to pass a mandatory Dutch language 

examination before I could submit the visa 

application. That was real challenging for someone 

like me who is not linguistic talented! I took 

up some private Dutch lessons for two months 

and thank goodness I cleared the exam and 

submitted the visa application. I must admit that 

the preparation for documentation required for 

the visa application was amazingly tedious and 

expensive! Everything has a price; mandatory 

language exam S$700, visa application S$1700 and 

not to mention all documents that are required 

to be legalized by the Dutch embassy at a price! 

So now all the paperwork is submitted to both 

the embassy and the IND in the Netherlands 

(yes one have to submit things twice!) and the 

waiting begins, 3-6 months! My boyfriend called 

this typical Dutch: Expensive and inefficient 

bureaucracy. 

How are you going to make your living in 

Holland? Are you going to generate any 

type of income? 

I am setting up a company to represent some 

manufacturers in Europe, hopefully that will 

pace out great success in my new career. 

Do you speak Dutch and do you think it’s 

important to speak the local language? 

I know some very basic Dutch vocabulary and words 

from the preparation of the Dutch exam and I 

think it is beneficial to learn more of the language. 

During my last few trips to Holland, I realize that 

most Dutch understand and speak English, however 

they will still prefer to converse in their own 

local language. So I think it is important to learn 

the local language in order to integrate into the 

culture and be able to communicate with friends 

and neighbours. 

What do you think you are going to miss 

most of Singapore? 

The weather - In Singapore it is always warm 

hence there is no worry of being caught with the 

20 


Special 

wrong attire when I am out. When I first know my 

boyfriend, I was very perplexed that he was always 

talking about the weather in Holland when he was 

on the phone with his family and was frequently 

checking the weather forecast. During my last 

few trips to Holland I found out myself that the 

weather indeed was unpredictable and therefore 

the locals will always check the forecast so that 

they know what to expect for the day. 

Lifestyle - Singapore having a tropical climate 

and being a safe country, Singaporeans like to 

stay outdoors and hang out at cafes, pubs and 

restaurants till late hours. I have noticed this is 

different in Holland and I will surely miss this. 

My independence - I have been living on my 

own and getting things done independently, I will 

miss that very much as I may have to rely on my 

boyfriend to guide me with most things. 

My friends and family - Nevertheless I will 

definitely miss my family and friends. 

Do you have other plans for the future? 

Our plan is not definite but tentatively it is to 

move back to Asia after 3 years. 

What do you think about the Dutch? 

After knowing my boyfriend and meeting his 

friends and family, I realized that Dutch have 

quite strong family values like us. Being raised 

and born in my Chinese cultured family, I 

used to be very opinionated 

with the Western culture and 

perceived that they lack family 

values, but my encounters so 

far have definitely changed 

my perception. 

During my interactions 

and socializing with the Dutch 

the last few trips I think 

they are not as friendly and 

approachable compared to 

Singaporeans but I guess that 

was partly due to my deliberate 

effort to scrutinize them to try 

pick up differences. Dutch are 

very vocal and direct with their 

views and tend to be brash 

too in the way they deliver 

a message. I feel that this is 

partly due to their language 

tone and expressions. I was 

not used to it in the beginning 

but slowly I appreciate the 

honesty and not having to 

guess if they have any hidden agenda in their 

minds. 

What do you see as the positive and negative 

aspects of living in the Netherlands? 

I think it will be a great experience for me as I will 

learn more about the country and gain more ability 

to adapt to a new environment with different 

people and culture. Being a Singaporean-born 

and raised in this small country with an organized 

government and protected family, I feel that many 

Singaporeans are so conditioned in a fortunate 

environment that we tend to be less versatile and 

tolerant to other countries’ culture. I am uncertain 

at this point if I will like or dislike the culture in 

the Netherlands but I would like to keep a positive 

attitude towards it at the moment. 

I am excited to live in a four-seasons country 

and look forward to experience the beauty 

from season to season and nevertheless to dress 

differently for the different seasons. 

The high tax and high cost of living are a 

concern to me as we both used to earn relatively 

well and are used to having more disposable 

income since we are taxed much lower in 

Singapore. 

I have learnt enough from my boyfriend that 

Holland is a country with no customer service (at 

least not compared to Asian standards) and not 

to mention efficiency for services needed. This 

will definitely be a “culture-shock” to me as I am 

so used to get things done quickly at a relatively 

low price in Singapore. 

21 


Conference Calendar 

A selection of upcoming conferences in the region in August/September 

Singapore Podiatry Symposium 2009 

28 – 30 August, Singapore 

Australasian Media & Broadcasting 

Congress 2009 

31 August – 3 September, Sydney 

Power Industry Conference: Convergence of 

IT, Automation, Control & Communication 

Technologies 

2 – 3 September, Melbourne 

Internal Audit - Developing and Delivering 

an Effective Audit using Risk Based 

Techniques 

7 – 8 September, Singapore 

Negotiating Successful Technology 

Contracts Seminar 2009 

8 – 9 September, Melbourne 

Enterprise Wide Risk Management 

- Understanding, Developing and 

Implementing an Effective Framework 


Agriculture Outlook Asia 2009 


Early Contractor Involvement in Major 

Projects Intensive 2009 

15 – 16 September, Sydney 

Near Field Communication World Asia 2009 


SuperReturn Asia 

21 – 24 September, Hong Kong 

China-Russia-Central Asia Oil and Gas 

Forum 2009 

23 – 24 September, Beijing 

12 th Annual Asian Shared Service & 

Outsourcing Week 2009 


World Pharma Trials Asia 2009 

23 – 25 September, Shanghai 

Infrastructure Investment World Asia 

8 – 11 September, Hong Kong 

10 th Annual FPSO Congress 2009 


Log on to www.conferencebay.com for more information on these and many other events. 

And remember, you can make a bid and decide the price you’re willing to pay for any 

conference you wish to attend, not just the ones listed on Conference Bay! Just contact us 

on +65 67357445. 

22 


Column By… 

Dutch Managers want…. 


Audi, Hugo Boss and sex, I read in a recent Dutch article. 

However, I wonder if they want the same in Singapore. Not 

sure if the same Manager hangs around at Boat Quay on a 

Friday night after work, but I would say that somehow the 

Singapore based Manager does not fit the NL profile. But 

lets first see what these 3 categories all entail. 

The Dutch Manager is a very busy body and has an 

average working week of 49 hours. Female Managers work 

5 hours less than their male counterparts. The Managers’ 

daily activities comprises of interaction with their team, 

reporting and meetings. They hardly have time for 

courses and trainings. The majority applies the coaching 

management style with focuses on people management 

although we wonder if the staff thinks the same. The 

Manager is quiet healthy and only takes MC (why the hell 

do the Singaporeans call a sick day MC?) for a day. 50% Of 

the Managers are too fat. They only exercise between 1 to 

5 hours a week, drink alcohol and use drugs in moderation. 

But the Manager still manages to have sex twice a week. 

As per the latest Durex sex survey this is 63% on a weekly 

basis although I wonder if this % is still the same for the 

‘travelling Manager’ who does business in more exotic spots 

like Bangkok, Manila and HKG. 

Managers earn enough to permit a luxury lifestyle. The 

majority earns more than Euro 5,000 a month gross and 25% 

earn more than Euro 8,000 a month including bonus and 

company car. They spend little on luxury articles such as 

expensive watches and clothes. Their favorite brand: Boss, 

followed by Tommy Hilfiger. The Singaporean Manager seems to 

do the same with regards to watches, but need to be arrested 

by the fashion police! The Manager hardly parties, apart from 

an occasional dinner in a restaurant and after work they drive 

straight home. The Manager prefers to spend his money on a 

holiday and 40% even makes 4 trips a year. 

But, let’s have a look at the Singaporean Manager and see 

how they differ from the Dutchies. A local survey shows that 

Singapore managers are a pragmatic lot, with over 80% polled, 

viewing good health, work-life balance and passion for work as 

more important than career advancement and higher salary. 

In comparison, only 61% scored career advancement and 

high salary as more important despite the financial pressures 

of the economic downturn. The inaugural survey, commissioned 

by the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), shows 86% 

intended to work beyond the retirement age of 62, although 

more than half would prefer to work on a part-time basis, doing 

freelance or consulting work. 

When it came to training, seven in 10 managers viewed 

skills and knowledge upgrading as important. Most, however, 

preferred to implement on-the-job training through learning of 

best practices and short-term courses than long-term programs 

or job rotations within the organization. 

Tracking the general sentiments on the current economy, 

there was more pessimism about the global economy than 

Singapore economy. Compared with the 77% who voiced their 

uncertainty about how the global economy was performing, 

only 61% of respondents said they were concerned about how 

Singapore’s economy fared. This might explain why only slightly 

more than half the 750 respondents were confident of keeping 

their jobs. Some 750 respondents took part in this survey 

which will be conducted twice a year. The SIM Management 

Monitor is a comprehensive management survey that aims to 

identify key trends in management and better understand 

the issues, concerns and challenges that Singapore managers 

uniquely face. 

With regards to the work-life balance I have my doubts 

since you hardly see the locals on a Friday night having a few 

beers at the Boat Quay, since all of them are still at work! 

Or perhaps they all rush home to make love to their partners, 

although the Singapore weekly sex 62% is very close to the 

Dutch counterpart. I can actually conclude that the Singapore 

Manager wants: work hard, money and sex? 

23 


Event Agenda 

Van Gogh – Brush With Genius 

DATE: 1 June – 31 October 2009 

VENUE: Omni Theatre, 21 Jurong Town Hall Road 

SYNOPSIS 

Dive into the heart of Van Gogh’s paintings. For the first time, discover in IMAX the fantastic colors 

and passionate brushwork of a great genius as they take on a new life before our eyes. Relive 

Vincent’s life journey through his letters, see the places that inspired him, and the paintings. 

We will meet Vincent. During this journey he will join us, reacting to the pictures, telling us 

what his is opinion today. He will be looking at Peter Knapp, a man who is working today on a 

documentary about Van Gogh’s techniques, and at Ellen, a researcher in the Van Gogh Museum 

in Amsterdam. She is studying his notebooks and letters. They give evidence of the fire and 

passion of a man who painted as he loved, who loved as he painted. And Vincent, as if he were 

seated next to us, will tell us the truth about his works and life. This is a chance to discover a 

Van Gogh we’ve never seen before: serene and radiating with love of life. 

TICKET PRICE: $10 (adult), $5 (child 3-12) 

Info line: 6425 2500 

DURATION: Log on to www.omnitheatre.com.sg for show time 

Own Time Own Target 

DATE : 8-25 Jul 2009 

Tues - Fri, 8pm / Sat - Sun, 3pm & 8pm 

VENUE : Drama Centre Theatre 

SYNOPSIS 

“ARMED 

AND HILARIOUS” 

– Arena 

“EXTREMELY 

FUNNY” 

– The Flying Inkpot 

Just when you thought you knew what National Service was 

all about... 

Rediscover National Service in all its strangeness and 

familiarity with this laugh-out-loud double-bill featuring 

Laremy Lee’s FULL TANK! and Julian Wong’s musical BOTAK 

BOYS! 

Let these two hilarious, heartfelt and cheekily satirical 

comedies about NS remind you why we hate it, love it, fear 

it and ultimately, can’t live without it! 

FULL TANK by Laremy Lee – In the midst of an island-wide 

terrorist manhunt that’s whipped the authorities and the 

media into a frenzy, Sergeant Leroy and his motley crew 

hijack a tank and go AWOL, embarking on a joyride through 

Singapore’s streets! Are they criminals or heroes? Or are 

they just plain crazy? Join them on a hilariously bizarre 

and uniquely Singaporean road-trip, where they encounter 

madcap ministers, hard - nosed journalists, a hot Mamasan 

and her China hostesses! 

BOTAK BOYS by Julian Wong - BMT is every Singaporean 

male’s nightmare. Or is it? Experience the heartache and 

hilarity, the bravery and the rude shocks as Justin and his 

blur bunkmates sing and dance their way through Tekong! 

Will Justin ever make friends? Will they all survive getting 

‘tekan-ed’? And will Justin’s little secret be exposed? Relive 

the sweat, tears, friendship and laughter of your BMT days 

with this heartwarming musical comedy about becoming a 

man - SAF-style! 

For more information please visit www.wildrice.com.sg 

TICKET PRICE (excluding booking fee): 

Preview – 8 & 9 July 2009, 8pm 

Standard - S$49, S$44, S$39, S$29, S$29 (Restricted View) 

Tue-Thurs & Sun - 8pm, Sat & Sun - 3pm 


Fri & Sat - 8pm 


DURATION: 2 hrs, Interval: 15 mins 

24 


Event Agenda 

World Cinema Series 

En Kärlekshistoria/ 

Swedish Love Story (Tba) 

DATE : 11 August 2009 - 7.30 PM 

VENUE : National Museum Gallery Theatre 

Basement 

SYNOPSIS 

The internationally 

r e n o w n e d a u t e u r 

of Songs From The 

Second Floor (2000) 

and You, The Living 

(2007) also brought 

us En kärlekshistoria, 

a p h e n o m e n a l l y 

successful film when it 

was shown in Sweden 

almost 4 decades ago. 

En kärlekshistoria is ostensibly a simple 

story about an adolescent boy and girl 

discovering the risk and excitement of first 

love. Andersson, fueled by the youthful energy 

and freshness of the French New Wave, located 

this film firmly within the social context of 

contemporary Sweden. The ‘love story’ is a 

soaring vision of purity, set against a darker 

satire of the Swedish bourgeousie - their petty 

squabbles and materialistic concerns - pointing 

in the direction that Andersson would later 

travel. 

TICKET PRICE (excluding booking fee): 

Standard - S$8 

DURATION: Approx 115 mins 

The Crab Flower Club 

DATE : 20 August – 29 August 2009 

20 Aug, Thurs - 8pm 

21 Aug, Fri - 8pm 

22 Aug, Sat - 3pm, 9pm 

23 Aug, Sun - 3pm, 8pm 

24 Aug, Mon - 8pm 

25 Aug, Tue - 8pm 

26 Aug, Wed - 8pm 

28 Aug, Fri - 8pm 

29 Aug, Sat - 3pm, 9pm 

VENUE : Drama Centre Theatre 

SYNOPSIS 

Reaching out to an audience 1,500 strong during this year’s Singapore 

Arts festival, The Crab Flower Club had both the media and the public 

raving about its stellar cast, powerful script, inspiring music and lavish 

set and costumes. 

The Crab Flower Club is set in a noble household in the Qing dynasty, 

centred around 5 daughters who gather on the eve of their father’s 60 th 

birthday. They meet to prepare a delicately complex feast of crabs for 

their patriarch, and more importantly, to set up an all-women poetry 

club. As each protagonist conjures up her own recipe, she also lays bare 

her intelligence, talent and desire on the culinary table. 

Acclaimed for his design and literary flair, playwright and director 

Goh Boon Teck’s latest work is based on poems in Cao Xue Qin’s 

masterpiece, Dream of the Red Chamber. The Crab Flower Club is a 

calligraphic foray into the sensitive and simmering world of the female 

protagonists, accompanied by Franz Liszt’s Symphonic Poem – Les 

Preludes, with sound design by Darren Ng. Acclaimed Malaysian actress 

Nell Ng will be re-instating her role in the show, while stellar actresses 

Emma Yong, Karen Tan and Yeo Yann Yann will join this re-staging of 

The Crab Flower Club. We are also pleased to introduce promising 

new-comer Ang Ru-Chen. 

Once again, The Crab Flower Club promises to caress your innermost 

emotions and sensitivity. 

TICKET PRICE (excluding booking fee): Standard - S$55, S$45, S$35 

DURATION: Approx 1 hr 20 mins 

Voordeligste tarieven vanaf € 22,- per dag 

all-in 

Snelste Schiphol service • 24 uur per dag • Geen extra verzekeringen bij aankomst • Laagste eigen risico 

www.bblcarrental.nl 

bb&l_2009_ad_194x61.indd 2 

12/17/08 10:31:11 AM 

25 


Business news 

Sources: Het Financieele Dagblad and Reuters 

Holland rich in undiscovered gas fields 

There is ‘significant potential’ to discover large quantities of gas on Dutch 

territory, particularly in unconventional sources such as shale, coal beds and 

shallow fields, the oil and gas industry body EBN said. The report ‘Focus on 

Dutch Gas’ looks at the current state of gas production in the Netherlands and 

its future potential. ‘Shallow gas has always been avoided because of the drilling 

risks and is only rarely taken into production,’ according to EBN chairman Jan 

Dirk Bokhoven. ‘But last year that happened for the first time.’ Bokhoven said 

that if all the untapped sources of gas are combined, the total could amount 

to 500,000 cubic metres. ‘That is a very rough estimate, but some of that 

can be extracted’. The biggest Dutch gas field was found in Slochteren in the 

northern province of Groningen in 1959 and established the Netherlands as 

a major gas exporting country. 

Birthday kiss at work 

not popular 

Birthday kisses from colleagues are a 

major annoyance for a third of people 

who celebrate their birthday at work, 

according to research by jobs website 

NationaleVacaturebank.nl. Next on 

the list of dislikes is singing (hated by 

26%) and bad speeches (disliked by 

24%). A gift token is the most common 

present, if presents are given, the survey 

showed, while one in eight workers are 

given something ‘original’. Some 15% of 

workers are prepared to donate more 

than €10 towards a present while 23% 

give between €6 and €10. 

Jobless benefit claims 

rise by 11,000 

The number of people claiming 

unemployment benefit rose by 11,000 

in April, the sixth successive monthly 

increase, says the national statistics 

office CBS. Corrected for seasonal 

influences, some 203,000 people were on 

jobless benefits (WW). In October 2008, 

the jobless total was a record 40,000 

lower. Unemployment among men was 

up 31%, while only 13% more women 

were without a job of at least 12 hours 

a week. In particular, people employed 

through staffing agencies were hard hit, 

the CBS said 

‘Buffer needed 

between banks and 

Bos’ 

Christian Democrat, Labour and Liberal 

MPs want the government to set up an 

intermediary body between finance 

minister Wouter Bos and financial service 

companies, such as ABN Amro, in which 

the state has a stake. It is important that 

Bos does not appear to be both bank 

manager and finance minsiter at the same 

time and he should not be held liable for 

‘every little move’ made by the banks, the 

MPs said. ‘That is not in the companies’ 

interests,’ CDA finance spokesman Frans 

de Nerée said. The general audit office 

has already warned the government of 

these risks. ‘We want a buffer when it 

comes to exercising shareholders’ rights, 

investments and managing supervisory 

board members who are acting on the 

government’s behalf,’ the MP said. Bos is 

expected to tell MPs how he plans to deal 

with his banking role. The minister has 

already said there are both advantages 

and disadvantages with setting up an 

independent foundation. In particular, 

an intermediary would change the way 

he reported on the banks to MPs, Bos has 

said. Labour MP Paul Tang said that he 

wants to make sure that banks which have 

been bailed out with government money 

keep to new guidelines on executive pay 

and bonuses. ‘I still have my doubts about 

whether banks have learnt their lessons 

or should we take the risk that they 

are [still] gambling with other people’s 

money?’ he said. 

Up to 18,000 firms face hard times 

Some 18,000 Dutch companies may be in financial difficulties because of the 

recession, according to calculations by Deloitte reports. Half of these companies 

will depend on credit to get through the next six months, but almost half of 

them are finding it hard to get new financing, the paper says. And a large 

proportion have not discussed their difficulties with their bank, the research 

shows. ‘Doing nothing is not an option,’ Deloitte spokesman Oscar Snijders said. 

‘Companies have to sit down with their bank. To make sure their requests for 

credit run smoothly, firms must be open and transparent.’ While 38% of the firms 

polled by Deloitte said six months ago they expected the recovery to begin in 

the third or final quarter of this year, only 29% now think so. Just over half the 

firms questioned expect the recovery to begin next year. 

Eneco buys Econcern 

solar power unit 

Energy firm Eneco said it is to buy some 

of the solar power operations of the 

bankrupt sustainable energy project 

developer Econcern. Rotterdam-based 

Eneco, which is owned by local and 

provincial governments, said it would 

buy part of Econcern’s consultancy and 

wind energy businesses. Econcern was 

declared bankrupt earlier this month. 

Talks are continuing on the takeover 

of Econcern’s international solar power 

activities. Financial details were not 

disclosed. 

26 


Business news 

Sources: Het Financieele Dagblad and Reuters 

Fortis court case 

verdict in September 

Amsterdam district court will announce 

in September whether key players in 

the decision to fully nationalise Fortis 

Holding’s Dutch interests should be 

forced to testify. A foundation known as 

FortisEffect, which represents some 1,200 

shareholders in Fortis Holding, wants to 

hear evidence from people such as finance 

minister Wouter Bos who were involved in 

the nationalisation last year. The case is 

one stage in complicated legal proceedings 

which shareholders hope will lead to the 

nationalisation process being reversed. 

FortisEffect argues that the state gave 

the impression that the company was safe 

following the partial nationalisation in 

September. But shareholders who bought 

into the company on that basis found their 

investments practically worthless when 

the company was fully nationalised in 

October 2008. 

Banks abandon ‘difficult’ neighbourhoods 

Banks have all but stopped extending mortgages in problem neighbourhoods 

of Rotterdam and The Hague, quoting estate agents and notaries. A number 

of run-down areas in both cities have been singled out for extra investment in 

term of housing, employment and quality of life. The government has made 

stimulating home ownership a central part of its urban renewal efforts, but 

this is now under threat. ‘The lack of financing is threatening to paralyse 

these neighbourhoods,’ Rotterdam notary Vic van Heeswijk, who organises 

compulsory house sales. 

Mortgages 

‘Banks only want to give safe mortgages. Difficult areas and difficult buyers are 

out of favour. It doesn’t say anywhere in black and white that urban renewal 

areas are no-go zones for mortgages but that is what is happening in practise,’ 

he said. Rob Wassenaar, chairman of the Rotterdam NVM estate agents, said 

house prices were falling in these areas faster than elsewhere. ‘We are seeing 

bigger price drops in neighbourhoods where finance is more difficult,’ he said. 

Mortgage market leader Rabobank denies it rejected mortgages on the basis 

of postcodes, as do other banks. Housing minister Eberhard van der Laan told 

NOS TV that he would look into the Volkskrant’s claims. 

Embassy Info 

His Royal 

Highness Prince 

Willem-Alexander, 

The Prince of Orange, 

visited Singapore 

His Royal Highness Prince 

W i l l e m - A l e x a n d e r, 

The Prince of Orange, 

visited Singapore in his 

capacity as Chair of 

the Advisory Board on 

Water and Sanitation of 

the Secretary General 

of the United Nations. 

On Monday 23 and 

Tuesday 24 of june, 

H.R.H. attendend the 

Singapore International 

Water Week 2009, where he delivered an Opening Address. He also visited the 

Marina Barrage and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy for a meeting with the 

management and students of the Institute of Water Policy. In the Istana H.R.H. was 

received by the President H.E. S.R. Nathan and by the Prime Minister, H.E. Lee Hsien 

Loong. He also had a separate meeting with the Minister for the Environment and 

Water Resources, Mr. Yaacob Ibrahim. Prince Willem Alexander attended the official 

opening of the Changi Water Reclamation Plant by the Singapore Prime Minister, 

before returning to the Netherlands. 

Public holiday 

for August 

Sunday 9 August - National Day of Singapore (Monday 10 August - Embassy closed) 

27 


Association Info 

New Members 

18 th Black Tie Dinner for ADB Members only 

Ard Verboon, Philips 

Corine Regelink, Cee.Copy.Design 

Elsenoor Koppenberg, Unilever 

Guillaume Meertens, Poets’ Design 

Jan-Berend Moller, Loyens Loeff 

Jan-Wout Lagerwij, Philips 

Maarten van Mourik, AVRA Towage 

Marcel Krol, Georg-Duncker (Asia) 

Marco Hoekstra, Figo 

Michiel Kool, Shell 

Mona Zoet 

Dear ADB Member, 

Again a great venue has been found! You and your partner 

are kindly invited to attend the 18 th Black Tie Dinner at the 

Warren Golf & Country Club (address: 81 Choa Chu Kang Way). 

A bit of a sporty element, dinner around the swimming pool, 

dancing with view on the golf course will be this year’s program. 

Don’t miss it! 

Date 

Time 

: 22 nd of August 

: 19:00 pm - 02:00 am 

Dress Code : Black Tie 

Price 

: SGD 100 p.p. 

Lucky Draw: 

Two economy tickets 

SIN-AMS-SIN 

(incl surcharge & tax) 

kindly sponsored by KLM 

Roger Peters 

Leaving Members 

Diederik Karssen, HBH Singapore 

Ivo Hemelraad, Amicorp 

Olaf Griffioen, Oiltanking 

Olaf Guffens, KLM 

Paul Peeters, Philips 

REQUEST 

Please inform adb@pacific.net.sg 

if you have moved within 

Singapore, will leave Singapore 

(or meanwhile have left already), 

changed employer or any other 

contact details that might be 

useful, in order to keep our 

database up-to-date. 

Registration: 

Please register by email to adb@pacific.net.sg by 16 th August 2009. 

Payment needs to be made in advance by 16 th August either by cheque or 

cash to be sent to ‘ADB, c/o 22 Camden Park, Singapore 299814. 

Please make cheque payable to “Association of Dutch Businessmen”. 

Or via bank transfer, Standard Chartered Bank, Battery Road, Account 

#01-0-837759-8: Branch: 001; Bank code: 7144. 

No show policy applies. Cancellations must be received by 17 th of August, 

otherwise you will be charged for the full amount. 

Kindly sponsored by: 

Thank you! 

28 


Unique Jewelery 

made to measure! 

• Goldsmith from the Netherlands can make everything for you. 

• I design together with you a nice piece of unique jewelery. 

• I use all materials as gold, platinum, silver, titanium and 

all kind of stones and pearls. 

• It is also possible to re-use your old jewelery. 

Call me to make an appointment Hetty Vosselman HP: 8138 8144 

IHC Merwede anchors in Singapore 

IHC Hydrohammer B.V. 

• Hydraulic hammer sales 

• Hammer rental from 

Regional IHC Office 

Singapore 

• Geotechnical service 

• Engineering support 

• OEM support 

IHC Parts & Services B.V. 

• Dredger renovation 

• Dredger maintenance 

• Dredger parts 

• Engineering support 

• Life cycle support 

IHC Handling Systems V.O.F. 

• Internal Lifting Tools 

• Pipe recovery tools 

• Jacket pile grippers 

• Upending tools 

• Hydraulic shackles 

• Skidding equipment 

6 Chin Bee Avenue, #01-03, Singapore 619930 

Phone: +65 6264 8433 | Fax: +65 6264 1933

July / Augustus 2009 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

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