Volvo Ocean Race in Singapore - Association of Dutch Businessmen

February 2009
MITA 373/03/2001
Volvo
Ocean Race
in Singapore
New Year’s
‘borrel’
Singapore’s
water
management

Prologue
First of all, I would like to wish all ADB members and their families a happy, healthy
and inspiring 2009. The ADB is starting the year with three new board members added
to the team, namely Marie-Hélène Piederiet, Rutger Oudejans and myself. We are
replacing Annabelle Deken and Freddy Meindertsma, who have stepped down after
their respectively 2.5 and 3.5 years commitment to the board.
Marleen Dieleman
Fortunately, the planning for the ADB events for 2009 is well underway, so it feels like
joining a fun and well-run organization. The first event of the year, our New Year’s
‘borrel’ on January 12 was a great success and I am sure those of you who were there
enjoyed the celebrations.
Back in 2008, my Monday evenings were mostly filled with teaching Corporate Strategy to
a fantastic group of MBA students at the National University of Singapore, so I have not
been able to attend many ADB events, which is why you may not have met me yet.
A brief introduction may therefore be appropriate. Originally from Rotterdam, I
arrived in Singapore in 2007 to join NUS Business School, where I teach strategy and
do research on large Asian family conglomerates. I somehow got hooked on this topic
and I enjoy interviewing the regional business leaders and analyzing their empires. In
2007, I published a book on the Salim Group, one of the largest business families of
Indonesia, a research project that had the side-effect of strengthening my detective
skills! Right now, I am analyzing a few other business families in Indonesia, Malaysia
and Singapore.
The ADB board is looking forward to meeting you on February 9, when we invite Piet
Sinke (now working for T&T Bisso Salvage Asia) to narrate a story full of “Dutch glory”
- salvaging the Kursk - (when he worked for Smit Salvage) or at one of the other events
later in the year.
Marleen Dieleman
‘
To share meaningful and business-related information amongst the Dutch
business community in Singapore, whilst networking in a fun environment ’
Jan de Vegt
Remco Muzerie
Marie-Hélène
Piederiet
Ard Huisman
Richard van der
Werf
Frank Kuijsters
Rutger Oudejans
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 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
Anouk Binkhuysen
Camiel Frijlink
Dennis van der Meijs
Karin Gerbens
Kiki van der Erf
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
ADB New Year’s ‘borrel’ 3
Business
One2Sell – A marketplace website 6
Expat question: “I cannot unplug” 8
The workspace of… 9
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.
Greenpage
Singapore’s sustainable water management 10
Singapore
Focus on Singapore’s cultural museums 12
Volvo Ocean Race in Singapore 14
Interview
Interview with Dutch Entrepreneur,
Esther de Haan from Nijha 16
Bizz Agenda 18
Know your tax
Termination of employment and tax planning 19
Lifestyle
New Year’s Resolution 20
Conference Calendar 22
Column by...
Richard Soemita
Taxi drivers 23
Event Agenda 24
Business News 26
association info 27
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Review
ADB New Year’s ‘borrel’
By Frank Kuijsters
And another record was broken
with more than 200 people visited
the ADB New Year’s ‘borrel’. On the 12 th of
January, the traditional ADB ‘Borrel’ was held
and kindly hosted by Chris and Marianne Sanders
at their lovely residence. This year we had a special
guest, Minister Maxime Verhagen. We were also pleased
that members of the DutchCham visited our ‘borrel’.
On behalf of the ADB board and its members, we would
like to thank Vopak and the Embassy of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands for sponsoring this very
successful event.
Minister Maxime Verhagen, Pim Kraan, JP Prins, Jan de Vegt, Chris Sanders
Chris en Marianne
Sanders
Remco Muzerie, Marleen Dieleman, Arnold Galavazi, Jo Johnston,
Edward Grunewald
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Review
Milou Reinders, Linda van Helvoort, Toine van den Berk,
Rob Blokvoord, Liona Potrikus
Angelique van Velzen, Jeroen Overbeek, Freek van Velzen,
Bram Tijsseling
Sanne en Marieke Bruinstroop, Lies Ellison Davis,
Angelique van de Burg
Cor Henk Roolvink, Bas Vredeburg, Matijn van Eldik, Ivo Jansen
Ard Huisman, Annabelle Deken, Richard Soemita, Joep Hillegers
Nicolien Luijsterburg, Karin Gerbens, Marloes Schulte, Lishya Liauw
Marga Kroon
en Mylene
van Thiel
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Business
One2Sell – A marketplace website
Who and what is One2Sell?
When one of our team members been living in
Holland, he became aware of the popularity of
consumer-to-consumer websites there. On moving
to Singapore, he thought that the population and
size of the country makes it ideally suited for the
same concept.
A few big media-owned classified ad websites
had already launched in Singapore in 2007. However,
users complained about complexity and were put
off by lengthy registration requirements.
One2Sell (one2sell.sg) was launched in March
2008 as an alternative to Singapore’s existing
classified ad websites. The website team started
with 2 enthusiastic persons who were keen to
develop a simpler marketplace/classified ad
platform and to target for the 35+ age group.
Since then, both the site and the team have grown
substantially.
The One2Sell site was designed with a simple
layout and optional user registration. The result is
a website accessible to anyone with either basic
or advanced computer skills. All ads are neatly
organized into categories and sub-categories that
are accessible via linked titles or via a collapsible
sidebar.
Free ads are constantly rotated on the One2Sell
homepage - it’s never the same. Ads never get
buried by new ads coming in. However, all free
ads will compete with each other for the limited
positions on the Homepage. Premium ‘Homepage’
ads are also available for a small fee.
No one likes spam! For that reason, One2Sell
was built in such a way that lets buyer and sellers
contact each other without exposing their email
address on the site.
Search Engine Optimization
Let’s now have a look at why search engines are so
important to a successful website. How do buyers
and sellers find individual ads on a consumer-toconsumer
website? They see ads on the Homepage?
They search the site by keywords? They browse
around by category or sub-category? All of are
correct. However, search engine traffic drives more
than half of individual ad page views on a normal
website.
We realized early on that sellers on a classified
site come mostly from marketing efforts. Buyers,
however, come mostly from search engines. If we
designed our site correctly, a keyword search on
Google or Yahoo for “Honda Accord 2.0A JDM”
should return an One2Sell link for the sub-category
“Honda” or a link that leads directly to a Honda
Accord 2.0A JDM ad on One2Sell.
Getting this type of pre-qualified traffic
is essential to the success of a marketplace
website. Therefore, our team takes Search Engine
Optimization (SEO) as a serious matter.
It starts with choosing the right name like
One2Sell; short, easy-to-remember, and unique.
Essence-beauty-salon.com is not a good website
name because the search engines interpret the
dashes as spaces. A search of “Essence-beautysalon”
will return all websites using these three
words. Perhaps thousands of websites! A better
choice for name would be Essencebeautysalon.com
because it is unique.
Other key website SEO features include:
• Proper keyword and description meta tags in
the header
• Search engine verification tags
• Dynamic browser title tags
• Updated sitemap in industry standard format
Google, Yahoo, and MSN all have free accounts
where webmasters can register their sites.
Registering your site insures that it won’t be ignored
by the search engines.
Dynamic title tags in the browser title bar are
very important because search engines read the
title on each web page to determine whether this
would be a good result to return in a search.
If someone is searching Google, Yahoo, or MSN
for a “Honda Accord 2.0A JDM”, they are more
likely to find the listing if the page has a descriptive
title tag.
How do the search engines learn about the
frequent changes on a general website? Special
software programs are available that generate a
daily sitemap that contains a list of all the pages
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Business
You can set the amount of money you want to spend
daily and this will cap your monthly expenditure
to a level that will fit your budget. Clicks and
conversions can be accurately measured.
Our own experience has been that offline
print advertising is better at building branding and
awareness while online ad campaigns generate
short term traffic. Both are necessary to build a
successful website.
on a website. Once a new sitemap is available, all
the search engines are ‘pinged’ to alert them of
changes. This procedure insures that new ads get
listed quickly and deleted ads are removed from
search results.
Tracking Visitors
How do we know how many visitors are coming to
One2Sell and where are they coming from? There
are number of services available. Two of the most
useful are Google Analytics and StatCounter.
Google Analytics provides a wealth of useful
data; however, it is not real-time. StatCounter gives
a real-time listing of visitors to your website and
where they are coming from.
For example, if you would like to know how
many people visited your site today and from which
country, StatCounter can give you that data in a
list or as a simple chart. Google Analytics, on other
hand, is more marketing oriented and has a very
useful proprietary measurement called the ‘bounce
rate’ which tells you how many visitors immediately
leave your site after arrival.
Marketing a website
How do you get people to visit a newly launched
website? Just waiting for the random visitor is
obviously not the way. Of course, one can do
offline marketing campaigns using print media
(newspapers, magazine, etc.) but it is difficult to
measure their effectiveness.
Online marketing campaigns using Google
AdWords or Yahoo Search Engine Marketing can be
very effective and easy to track. These services list
your website for a fee on the sidebar of the search
result pages, on websites and blogs, and in the ad
sections of Gmail and Yahoo Mail. People that click
on the links will immediately go to your website.
Communicating with users via email
One2Sell was initially envisioned as a pure
marketplace or classifieds site where ads wouldn’t
be needed after 30-60 days. The real world turned
out to be a bit different. Autos and condos can take
much longer to sell. Also, small businesses offering
services might want to keep an ad on One2Sell for
a year or more.
To solve the problem, we decided to use renewal
emails that are automatically sent out three days
before an ad is scheduled for deletion.
Email is also used to communicate improvements
and new features to our users. We use an opt-in
form on the website and also extract names from
our database.
Here’s a tip: it’s best not to use Microsoft
Outlook to send out emails or newsletters to your
users. Use one of the online services such a AWeber
or Constant Contact. Or, use a standalone software
package such a SendBlaster for Windows or Quaik
for Mac users.
To comply with local and international spam
laws, newsletters and marketing emails must
contain an unsubscribe link.
Not all browsers are the same
Did you ever experience trouble when visiting
your internet banking system? Perhaps, you were
not able to fill in your password or even your
login name? Most probably, it was a problem with
your browser. Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome
browsers are often incompatible with text input
editors designed for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer
and Mozilla’s FireFox.
At One2Sell, our users faced the same issues.
A decision was made to make the site uniformly
compatible with all commonly-used browsers. In
December 2008, we completed the changes and
announced that One2Sell was fully compatibility
with all browsers including Safari and Chrome.
Other Sites and Projects
The One2Sell brand is owned by Advanced Labs Pte.
Ltd. One2Sell sites have been launched in several
other countries including Australia (com.au) and
Belgium (.be). The same technology is also deployed
under the One4Sale brand: Thailand (One4Sale.net)
and The Netherlands (One4Sale.nl).
If you would like to know a bit more about web
development, website statistics, or SEO you can
contact us via our email addresses: Y.L. Cheng at
lou@one2sell.sg and/or Robert Lancione at robert@
one2sell.sg.
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Business
Expat question: “I cannot unplug”
By Frank Kuijsters
A few weeks ago I received the following question from someone. I want to share her dilemma with you
because I think many others are confronted with the same:
I cannot unplug. I just feel too guilty when I go on vacation not to check my email every day and
call into the office at least every other day. I am the one who brought my family here to Singapore and
I do not want to risk having the office say she is slacking off — even if it is vacation — and certainly in
these times of economical downturn getting fired. Help!
It is the feeling of not being able to let go. Being
an expatriate with quite a few responsibilities
at work, you feel the pressure both at work and
of making sure your family is ok. This work-life
balance is currently a much-heated topic. Did I
tell you already that the person who wrote me
is a women? Probably not. What I see is that
women in senior positions often fulfil multiple
roles; they are the breadwinners, but at the same
time, I would say that women are more likely to
consider and stress over the implications of their
decisions for the rest of the family. Whether
living at home or in a new country, women tend
to take greater responsibility for the care of their
family, regardless of whether they work outside
the house or not, or how senior they are. I do not
know many women who can seem to let go of this
sense of responsibility, just because they hold
senior positions at work. Plus, women tend to be
the ones who notice and worry how people in the
family are getting along, how each family member
is feeling; who is excited about the new move
and who is angry, and who just wants to pack up
and go back home.
Try not to worry unnecessarily. I presume
getting fired after having been sent abroad is
unusual but at times like these everything is
possible. Expatriate relocations are a fairly
expensive undertaking and I am sure that the
employees are chosen by their company because
they believe in them and are confident that they
are capable doing the job.
Under normal circumstances, this does not
mean that it’s expected to be on call 24/7. That
would not be fair, and would eventually lead to
having a burnout. Maybe the emotional tolls of
the move, plus the work challenges have started
to eat into your confidence.
If I look around I see that expats are typically
dedicated, career-minded individuals and are
inclined to put in long hours. However, all work
and no play can cause breakdowns, and that’s not
what you want. Not for yourself, your work or for
your family. Being in touch all the time with the
company is not going to make you more effective,
you’ll be distracted while you are supposed to
recuperate and rest and thus you’ll not be rested
fully upon return from your vacation. Taking your
laptop along on your holiday, is it really necessary?
Can’t you hand over your work to your assistant
or co-worker before you go on leave, and inform
your superior? Of course you can let them know
how to reach you in case of emergency. Try the
next time to be more disciplined and leave your
laptop at home when you go away with your family,
but I think you still can take your Blackberry/PDA,
you can turn it off whenever you want, just like
your hand phone. Now reflecting on this all think
how you can set yourself parameters and only turn
your phone on during the timeslot you’ve set as
your goal. These days, it’s too easy to be a slave
of technology for what is often no good reason
at all... and family vacations would usually be
the best example of the ‘no good reason’ time
segment.
Probably it is wise to communicate with your
spouse about your feelings, your concerns and
what you are going through. Who knows, maybe
a good debrief and a good belly laugh with your
partner might be just the medicine your doctor
ordered, to release tension and start focusing 100%
on enjoying your holiday!
When you get back from your holiday, you
might want to think about finding a mentor in your
company – or elsewhere in your environment. Find
someone to talk about how your core values and
beliefs affect your adjustment to an international
move and discuss how best to tackle those issues.
Furthermore let your company understand your
circumstances, including the good and the notso-good
parts.
Believe in yourself, you can do it; in the past
you had to work effectively without being available
24/7. Think about it… is there anyone else in your
organisation that will actually be checking you
24/7? Not likely. They’re usually too busy taking
time out with their friends and families, just like
you should do.
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Business
The workspace of…
By Karin Gerbens
What company do you work for, since
when and what is your job?
Since 1995 I have been working for various
business units throughout Cookson Electronics.
We are a leading supplier of soldering materials
(Alpha brand) in the world. Our product
line-up consists of solder alloys; available
in different forms such bar, wire, powder or
paste. In addition, we also offer a range of
specialty chemicals and engineered materials.
Our customers use these products to solder
electronic components to printed circuit
boards (the ‘green boards’ you can find inside
your mobile phone, laptop, TV, GPS, iPod,
etc…). These customers are either the OEM’s
(Original Equipment Manufacturers) directly or,
increasingly, the EMS’s (Electronic Manufacturing
Services) who assembly these boards for the
OEM’s. Needless to say that most of the electronics
manufacturing in the world has migrated over
the past few years to Asia, mainly China.
For the past 3.5 years I am stationed here as the General Manager for our South East Asia (SEA)
operations, a business unit that was established in Singapore in 1987 to support the SEA markets with
local manufacturing, engineering, sales and technical support. In addition, we produce various specialized
and IP sensitive chemicals (concentrates) to support other Cookson plants throughout Asia (China, HK,
Taiwan, Japan, Korea and India).
Valentijn Van Velthoven
Where is your office located?
Our office and factory is located at Tuas Avenue 10, an industrial zone in West Tuas.
Cubicle or office?
An office and actually quite a nice one if I say so myself… In fact, recently a senior executive of our
company visited our factory and he noted that: “if you had your own shitter, this might actually be the
nicest office in the company”. I guess in today’s tough business environment I better enjoy it as long
as it lasts!
What is the view when you look outside the window?
My neighbor, Woodlands Transport, a company that maintains and repairs busses like the ones you see
on Sentosa. Always a lot of activity and noise with busses driving on and off…
What is your favorite place to have lunch?
It is hard to be picky around here since there are basically only 2 choices: one being the hawker center
on Tuas Avenue 7 where my favorite dish/stall is Yong Tau Fo soup, and the other option is Raffles
Marina, a more “Western place” with a view of the marina, the Second Link and Malaysia. Recently
I found out that I actually get a special price at the Yong Tau Fo stall, surprisingly not an “Ang Moh
Premium”, but a discount -> free bean sprouts because I am his “VIP customer”! Whenever I travel or
I haven’t been around, the owner is worried that I have left, so I feel almost obligated to inform him
about my travel schedule and whereabouts…
Whose workplace would you like to see in our next edition?
Robert-Jan Bertina from Citco.
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Greenpage
Singapore’s sustainable
water management
By Anouk Binkhuysen
In Singapore,
water flows
readily at the
turn of a tap,
thanks to the
Four National
Taps strategy.
The Four
National Taps
strategy consists
of rainwater
collected
from local
catchments,
imported
water from
Johor Malaysia,
NEWater (or
reclaimed water)
and desalinated
water.
The recent development of new technologies have
made water cheaper and easier to produce and to
distribute. But more than a billion people in the
world -700 million in Asia alone- still lack access
to safe drinking water.
By 2008, more than half of the world’s
population will live in cities. With such diversity
and density, there are no simple solutions to the
problems that come with economic development,
environmental degradation and water shortages.
The right of every person to water is the domain
not just of politics, but of finance, government
and the private sector.
Singapore, a land- and water- scarce country,
has turned its limitations into great strengths, firmly
placing itself on the world map as a model city for
sustainable water management. With a thriving
water industry capable of developing a wellspring
of solutions, the city has a broad experience in
building some mega water infrastructures such as
the newly completed Marina Barrage and the Deep
Tunnel Sewerage System.
How did Singapore work towards selfsufficiency
in water management?
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has been the driving
force behind today’s Singapore’s self-sufficiency
in water management. He saw Singapore’s water
vulnerability in the early years of independence
and the need to resolve this. During his years as
Prime Minister, he encouraged its people to clean
up the Singapore River and he invested in new
technology for the continuing search for selfsufficiency.
Singapore’s water industry and institutions
have been transformed over the years. PUB,
Singapore’s national water agency, has become
a vibrant, world-class organization. Water now
has its own minister to manage the country’s
precious resource in an integrated manner with
the environment portfolio. There are new research
institutes, a higher volume of funding and more
private sector participation. But most importantly,
Singapore enjoys a diversified and sustainable
water supply.
The role of the Public Utilities
Board (PUB)
PUB, the national water agency, plans, manages
and safeguards Singapore’s water resources.
Ensuring water sustainability is the key focus of
PUB. From rainwater collection to used water
treatment, the entire water loop is managed by
PUB.
In Singapore, water flows readily at the
turn of a tap, thanks to the Four National Taps
strategy. The Four National Taps strategy consists
of rainwater collected from local catchments,
imported water from Johor Malaysia, NEWater (or
reclaimed water) and desalinated water.
The national water agency, PUB is responsible
for the collection, production, distribution and
reclamation of water in Singapore.
Collection
Rainwater is collected through rivers, streams,
canals and drains, and stored in 14 reservoirs.
Various reservoirs are linked by pipelines so that
excess water can be pumped from one reservoir to
another, thus optimising storage capacity.
Production
Raw water is then piped to the waterworks for
treatment.
Distribution
After the treatment, the water is stored in covered
reservoirs before being distributed to customers.
Reclamation
Water used by the customers is collected via an
extensive sewerage system and treated at water
reclamation plants. Used water is a resource and
the treated used water is further purified using
advanced membrane technology to produce highgrade
reclaimed water, known as NEWater.
With an eye on the future, PUB has built
the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) for
long-term sustainability. An integral part of the
water loop, the DTSS is a superhighway that
will channel used water to a centralised water
reclamation plant for treatment and subsequent
discharge into the sea or to be further purified
into NEWater.
The Marina Barrage Project
The Marina Barrage is a dam in Singapore built
across the Marina Channel. It was officially opened
on 1 November 2008. It provides water supply,
flood control and a new lifestyle attraction. This
structure will provide flood control by changing
the tide flow into the barrage.
10
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Greenpage
The Marina Barrage creates Singapore’s
15 th reservoir, and the first in the heart of the
city. With a catchment area of 10,000 hectares,
or one-sixth the size of Singapore, the Marina
catchment is the island’s largest and most
urbanized catchment. Together with two other
new reservoirs, the Marina Reservoir will boost
Singapore’s water catchment from half to twothird’s
of the country’s land area.
Operation of Gates and Pumps
The Marina Bridge spans the Marina Channel and
allows visitors to walk across both reservoir and
sea all at once. The nine crest gates are housed
under the Marina Bridge. Consisting of nine 88 foot
(26.8m) hydraulically operated steel crest gates
spanned across the Marina Channel and seven 40
cubic metres per second drainage pumps housed
with the pump building, the Marina Barrage is an
engineering marvel.
The Deep Tunnel Sewerage System
(DTSS)
The Deep Tunnel Sewerage System is an efficient
and cost-effective solution to meet Singapore’s
long-term needs for used water collection,
treatment and disposal.
Today, Singapore is 100% sewered. However,
as Singapore continues to grow and urbanise, it
will need to build more pumping stations and
expand water reclamation plants to collect and
treat used water. These tanks take up precious
land and require huge investments in costly
equipment.
Thus, in 2000, PUB started building the DTSS
to cater Singapore’s increasing population and
expanding economy. Phase One of the DTSS is
completed in 2008 and comprises a 48-km North
Tunnel stretching from Kranji to Changi, a water
reclamation plant with a capacity of 800,000 cubic
metres per day, a 5-km sea outfall at Changi, and
some 60-km of link sewers.
Together with its component link sewers, more
than half of Singapore’s used water can eventually
be directed through the North Tunnel to the Changi
Water Reclamation Plant for treatment, and the
effluent will be discharged through deep sea
outfall into the Straits of Singapore. Part of the
effluent will be channelled to reclaimed water
(NEWater) factories, thus allowing PUB to ‘close
the water loop’.
Singapore: an exemplary case for
urban water management
One of the main reasons as to why Singapore has
been very successful in managing its water and
wastewater is because of its concurrent emphasis
on supply and demand management, wastewater
and stormwater management and institutional
effectiveness. Singapore creates an enabling
environment, which includes a strong political will,
effective legal and regulatory frameworks and an
experienced and motivated workforce.
Singapore is one of the very few countries
that looks at its supply sources in its totality. In
addition to import of water from Johor, it has
made a determined attempt to protect its water
sources (both in terms of quantity and quality on
a long-term basis), expand its available sources
by desalination and reuse of wastewater and
stormwater. Furthermore it uses technological
developments to increase water availability,
improve water quality management and steadily
lower production and management costs. PUB,
at present, has an in-house Centre for Advanced
Water Technology, with about 50 expert staff
members who provide the necessary research and
development support.
Sources:
Article Singapore: an exemplary case for urban water management, Cecilia Tortajada,Vice President, Third World
Center for Water Management
Publications PUB DTSS, Marina Barrage, The Singapore water story
Blue Paper Singapore International Water Week 2008
11
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Singapore
Focus on Singapore’s
cultural museums By Karin Gerbens
Singapore, famous as financial centre, airport hub
and retail paradise, has an interesting side less
known: its museums. Although the development
of good museums is a relatively new tendency,
the Lion City offers some very enjoyable ones. In
general most of the museums can be categorized
in ‘history and culture’, ‘art and design’ or ‘kids’
education and leisure’, I have been scooping around
through some of the history and culture museums
lately and here are some of my findings.
A good starting point to explore Singapore’s,
and, much broader Asia’s, history and culture is
the Asian Civilisations Museum in the Colonial
district. This is the first museum in South East
Asia to portray an extensive overview of pan-Asian
cultures and civilisations. The museum – housed in
a historical government building – consists of 11
galleries and is spread over three levels explaining
more about a range of ancient periods and cultures
from China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and West
Asia. The first gallery takes you to the Singapore
River and tells the story of the rise of Singapore,
being the centre point of trade in the 19 th and 20 th
century. You can see how the River developed from
a hustling and bustling trading place to current
tourist and expat hangout Boat Quay. From there,
you will follow a trail with interesting stories on
religions, trade, and diversity that Asia offers. The
museum collections are very extensive so take your
time or don’t limit yourself to one visit only. The
ACM offers free guided tours which can be very
helpful in understanding all that is exposed. For
more information and opening hours see www.
acm.org.sg
You may continue your journey in Singapore’s
culture and history at the Peranakan Museum
in Armenian Street. Since long, people of many
different ethnic backgrounds have been living
together in Singapore. This unique blend not
only saw the rise of ethnic neighborhoods as
we still know them, it also created the distinct
‘Peranakan’ culture. Peranakans, literally meaning
“child of”, are descendants of the early Chinese
traders who married the local Malay women. The
so-called Babas and Nonyas adapted their own
customs and habits in food, religion and lifestyle
rituals. Peranakan communities could be found
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Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Singapore
in the former Straits Settlements of Singapore,
Malacca and Penang. The newly opened Peranakan
Museum (2007) gives a thorough insight in the
Peranakan society. The museum comprises of ten
galleries with permanent and changing collections
about the history and future of the Peranakans
including galleries about wedding rituals and
food and feasting. The free guided tour is highly
recommended. You can buy a joint ticket for the
ACM and the Peranakan Museum. A joint ticket
must be used within 7 days of purchase. For more
information see www.peranakmuseum.sg
If you want to know more about the roots of
the Chinese population in Singapore, the Chinese
Heritage Center is a must-see. In three original
shophouses you can relive the past by not only
learning about the journey the early immigrants
made but also experiencing the way they lived
in impoverished Chinatown by walking through
the quarters they stayed in. Take a glimpse in the
kitchen and the primitive bathroom that had to
be shared by many families. The China Heritage
Center is located at the Pagoda Street. See www.
chinatownheritage.com.sg
To dig further in Singapore’s history, head for
the oldest museum in town: the National Museum
at Stamford Road. The museum’s main History
Gallery displays Singapore’s history from the 14 th
century to the present-day as a huge amount of
objects, facts and figures and stories. The museum
uses state of the art means of presentation by
using film, audio narratives installation and
theatre. Visitors can choose to follow the ‘events
track’ tracing facts and events in history or the
‘story telling personal track’, telling history from
a personal, man on the street, point of view.
Besides the History Gallery, there are four themed
Living Galleries: Food, Film, Photography and
Fashion. These galleries focus on the lifestyle of
Singaporeans. The audio guide handed to you at the
entrance contains more than 7 hours of information
about the history and lifestyle of Singapore and its
inhabitants. The museum also offers a fine dining
experience in one of its restaurants. Choose from
Muse (French), Novus (European cuisine) and
Chef Chan’s Restaurant (Chinese). Check their
website for all upcoming events and exhibitions
at www.nationalmuseum.sg
For those who do not have the time or desire
to visit these elaborate museums on history and
culture of Singapore, go to Sentosa and visit Images
of Singapore. This Disney-ish exhibition provides
enough background on Singapore to know where
you are living.
An important event in Singapore’s history
marked the Second World War. Winston Churchill
named the fall of Singapore in 1942 ‘the worst
disaster and largest capitulation in British history’.
Several of Singapore’s museums give attention to
this point in history.
Sentosa’s Fort Siloso not
only gives a sight of a soldier’s
life in the late 19 th century,
it also elaborately exhibits
the surrender by the British.
The life size waxwork of the
main players in the Surrender
Chambers gives a vividly
overview of the events. Fort
Siloso houses Asia’s largest
collection of World War II
memorabilia. Hop-on the
Fort tram and discover this
old British fortress.
Another in depth view
of the British surrender can
be found at the 9-meter
underground Battle Box in Fort Canning Park. It
was here that the British Lt.-General Percival made
the crucial decision to surrender to the Japanese
on the early morning of 15 February 1942. This
small museum is only for the fanatics while the
exposition is limited to the surrender only. Last
admission is at 5pm.
More about World War II can be found at the
Changi Museum, telling the story of more than
5,000 Prisoners of War and Civilian internees. The
Old Ford Factory was the place where the British
surrendered; here you can walk the same route as
the British did in 1942. Finally, at Reflections at
Bukit Chandu you can relive the Japanese invasion
in a beautifully restored black and white house.
For those who are into modern and contemporary
art, the Singapore Art Museum is the place to go.
The museum is housed in a former school built in
1855. The SAM exhibits the largest collection of
modern Southeast Asian art and has international
partnerships with leading art museums all over
the world. Due to these partnerships SAM receives
several exhibitions per year, so the collection
changes regularly. The SAM also organizes art
classes for adults and children. See www.singart.
com for more info.
For more art and creativity set off to the Red
Dot Design Museum, the red dot stands for a
quality label in excellence in design. The Red Dot
Design Museum in Singapore is connected to the
international acknowledged Design Museum in Essen
(Germany). Both venues are exclusive exhibition
areas for red dot design award winners. It is here
that products and brands communicate their design
excellence and differentiate themselves from the
mediocre. Do check in advance for their opening
hours, while they might be closed for (corporate)
events.
Even though, this is not a complete list of
Singapore’s museums, it might be clear; there is a
lot out there to be discovered. So grab a friend or
relative and enjoy getting a flavour of Singapore’s
cultural side.
13
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Singapore
Volvo Ocean Race in Singapore
Delta Lloyd ensures the future of Dutch offshore sailing
Text by Frank Kuijsters
Photographer of pics: David Branigaan/Oceansport
For the first time ever seven boats of the Volvo
Ocean Race docked in December 2008 in Singapore.
On Wednesday December 24 2008 shortly after 4
AM local time Team Delta Lloyd sailed safely across
the Singapore finish line in seven position. For the
sailors it put end to a tough third leg in the Volvo
Ocean Race. Team Delta Lloyd was not greeted
with the smiling moon but with heavy tropical
showers and lightning. After ten days on sea the
eleven crew members put their feet onshore to
be welcomed by family, shore crew members,
organizers and friends.
On Sunday 18 January the Volvo Ocean Race
boats left Singapore for their fourth stretch, this
time to Qingdao in China. It was an amazing sight
to see these big boats sailing away.
I was asking myself what makes that an
organization like Delta Lloyd steps into an event
like the Volvo Ocean Race?
Delta Lloyd has been actively involved in
sailing for many years, and the core Dutch sailing
team prepared for the 2008 Olympics under the
company’s flag. But the banners with the familiar
shades of light and dark blue are also present at
major events for Olympic athletes and yachters
in the Frisian town of Medemblik. Delta Lloyd is
currently the leading water sports sponsor in the
Netherlands; the only area where they weren’t
strongly represented was offshore sailing. Delta
Lloyd did previously explore the options of
participating in the Volvo Ocean Race, but never
had the opportunity to run their own campaign,
as the budgets were simply too high. So from a
strategic perspective, it has been an objective
of Delta Lloyd for a very long time”.
The financial services provider decided to
enter the race at the eleventh hour, thereby
single-handedly ensuring the future of offshore
sailing in the Netherlands. Though the company is
admittedly late to enter this year’s Volvo Ocean
Race, the project is run by an experienced and
competent team whose members share a strong
vision.
In the summer of 2008, the company was
presented with the golden opportunity to enter
the race in an affordable, financially responsible
way. Several months before, Irish businessman
Ger O’Rourke bought the former ABN AMRO
One from Team Ericsson. While looking for the
kind of financial resources that would allow him
to actually participate in the race, O’Rourke
eventually turned to Delta Lloyd. It was a high-risk
project, given that the start date is so close. But
it’s not that different from an insurance company
– you also need a long-term vision. Delta Lloyd sells
insurance, and they said: “One thing of which we
can be sure is that we can now continue building
the future of offshore sailing in the Netherlands.
No other Dutch company would have participated
otherwise, and if we hadn’t committed to the
project it would have created another void”. They
were referring to the 2001-2002 Volvo Ocean Race,
when the Netherlands was not represented at all.
Because there wasn’t a national team competing,
the Dutch public took little interest in the race,
and the sailors were somewhat indifferent as well.
What happened was that sailing in the Netherlands
headed into a downward spiral. The ABN AMRO
team could feel consequences of this diminished
interest first hand when they started the campaign
for Volvo Ocean Race Team ABN AMRO in 2005: “We
had a really hard time finding Dutch sailors who
were able to compete at that level, even on land.
You can’t expect to find seasoned professionals
after eight years of little activity. The sport
had developed at such a fast pace that people’s
knowledge was no longer up to date. If we don’t
participate now, we’ll again find ourselves in a
situation where we’re three years behind, while
all other teams will have sailed the new route and
have experienced the third generation Volvo Open
70s”. Therefore it was vitally important that the
successful ABN AMRO Team campaign was followed
up. If you want to take the sport seriously and
play a decisive role in its future, which is what
Delta Lloyd intends to do, you have to both ensure
representation and invest in the talented Dutch
professionals associated with this campaign. That
applies to both inshore and offshore sailing, since
an event like the Volvo Ocean Race is no longer
won only by the crew members on board”.
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Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Singapore
Multi-talented
There are a large number of excellent Dutch
sea sailors, however the majority of them are
employed abroad. It is estimates that between
seventy and eighty percent of these professionals
were closely connected to the home-grown Team
Brunel Sunergy back in the 1997-1998 season.
“That is in line with the vision of Roy Heiner, who
says you need to develop talented young sailors
into professional sailors when they’re in their
early twenties. He believes the key to the sport is
experience, and that, if you want to truly excel,
you shouldn’t distinguish between inshore and
offshore sailing. Look at all the top professional
sailors you see here and who did extremely well
in the previous race – nearly all of them are
Olympic medallists or were successful in the
world championship”. Despite this abundance of
talent, however, no national team members have
been selected.
“That is certainly what we’re aiming for, but
it just takes a little more time. We’ve now picked
crew members who are not only talented, but who
also have experience in sailing on large boats”.
Said campaign director Tom Touber.
Delta Lloyd as a stabilising factor
The arrival of Team Delta Lloyd ensures that two
objectives will be achieved: the sailors are given
the opportunity to develop themselves further,
while the national interest in one of the world’s
largest water sports events is guaranteed. Touber:
“If Delta Lloyd hadn’t been involved, there would
have been very little media attention, which
is detrimental to investment in the sport, and
therefore for the future. Our participation has
completely changed the outlook for the sport, and
that will serve as the basis for a winning campaign
in the future. You need to make sure you have a
solid plan, an excellent team and the right kind of
support from the corporate sector”. Delta Lloyd
is the constant factor throughout the process,
committed to ensuring that a sufficient number of
talented professionals remain in the Netherlands
and that people continue to be resourceful in
protecting the future of the sport. It is now up to
other potential sponsors to start thinking about
the 2011 edition.
Team Delta Lloyd’s key objectives:
- Ensuring the continued development of
offshore sailors in the Netherlands.
- Serving as a platform for the Dutch corporate
sector in order to ensure the continuity of
offshore sailing.
- Offering Olympic sailors the opportunity to
participate in the future, i.e. cross-pollination
of talent.
For more information on the Team Delta Lloyd
have a look on their website: http://www.
teamdeltalloyd.com
15
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Interview
Interview with Dutch Entrepreneur,
Esther de Haan from Nijha
By Richard Soemita
Nijha is a major Dutch company for play and sports equipment and sporting goods. Having distributors in Belgium,
France, UK, Spain, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Sweden and Norway, Esther has taken on the challenge to
start a sales office in Singapore since June last year.
What can you find at Nijha
Nijha develops and produces play and sports
equipment. Their aim is to offer users a challenge.
That is why they make sure all their equipment is
vandal-proof and low-maintenance. They also offer
a wide range of play equipment from handballs and
footballs to training aids and juggling equipment.
With 100 staff they produce top quality products
and have been doing so for more than 80 years.
Esther, what brought you to
Singapore?
After 3 wonderful years in Chicago, USA, it was
my husband’s job that brought my family and me
to Singapore. Having endured the cold winters of
Chicago, Singapore is a welcome change.
How easy or difficult was it to get
started in this part of the world?
During the start-up phase I’m building contacts
with various Singaporean entities that have
different interest. The HDB is interested in
playground equipment for their HDB renovation
projects. The EDB is interested in bringing the
innovations from Nijha to Singapore. The interests
from schools vary from gymnasiums to playground
equipment and everything in between.
I’m very proud to say that first Nijha playground
equipment has arrived in Singapore and is
located at the Hollandse School that has recently
undergone a major renovation and expansion
project.
Our products
Play equipment
- Play equipment must be challenging and
must encourage discovery. It must enable
children to move boundaries and have fun
with others. All our play equipment is designed
to ensure that a child gets lots of enjoyment
from it and at the same time develops through
play.
- In areas where there is not much room
for children to play and exercise, our play
equipment enables them to get the exercise
they need. Our stand-alone equipment offers
attractive play value for play areas of any size
and for every age group.
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Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Interview
- Our play equipment is not only challenging;
it naturally also complies with all safety
requirements. The basic material of the
play equipment is metal. So it will last for
decades.
Sport equipment
- Nijha has exactly the right equipment for all
major sports: football, handball and hockey
goals, basketball equipment, and badminton,
tennis and volleyball nets.
- Indoor sports facilities need flexible sports
equipment. Nijha has developed “KBS and
Gymvaria” specifically for this purpose. These
two systems (a strong ceiling system combined
with fastening points in the hall floor and sports
equipment) offer comprehensive scope for
a wide range of school gymnastics activities
and training for competitive sports.
Sporting goods
Nijha’s wide and innovative range of sporting
goods is designed to make exercise fun. Everyone
should be able to participate in games and exercise
activities at their own level. So we are constantly
designing new equipment - everything you need
for sports along with items such as soft balls, selfdefense
equipment, leisure equipment and training
aids. Combined with the expert knowledge of our
staff, this is attracting more and more customers.
What triggered your idea to get
started in Singapore?
When I arrived in Singapore last February, the
Republic Singapore was at its height of economic
growth. Wherever I looked I saw construction:
old buildings being torn down new buildings
being erected and many, many renovations. All
of these have one thing in common; they are all
upgrades.
At the same time Singapore is heavily investing
in its Sports Education Program. Singapore wants to
put itself on the global map of sports. They have
committed themselves to a number of high profile
international sports events over the next 5 years
like Youth Olympic Games, Asian Youth Games,
Singapore Marathon and many more. Like most
European countries Singapore is also investing in
Sports Education.
Our vision: exercise has to become
a way of life
It is a well-known fact that the children and adults
of today spend too much of their lives sitting still
- at home, at the computer, in the car, at the
office. This lack of exercise is already resulting in
diseases of affluence and high social costs. Nijha
believes that it is essential for children to become
acquainted with a varied offer of sports and games
at an early age.
Varify
If we want to encourage exercise as a life-long
activity, it must be enjoyable. This requires a
varied offer, both indoors and outdoors, in which
everyone can participate successfully at his own
level. All Nijha’s products and services are designed
with this in mind. Product development plays a
major role in this.
Our mission
Nijha aims to be a creative, reliable and groundbreaking
partner that offers total solutions in
the International sports, educational and leisure
activities market. We aim to be the number one
source of expert advice in our chosen spheres of
activity. Nijha is progressive and proactive when
it comes to safety, the environment, ergonomics
and sustainability - both for its customers and its
employees. Within the context of its corporate
social responsibility, Nijha wants to contribute to
the health of present and future generations.
What distinguishes Nijha from its
Competitors?
Nijha International is a Dutch based company that
has been around for over 80 years. When you have
grown up in The Netherlands, like I did, for certain
you will have either knowingly or unknowingly been
in contact with one of its products. Who doesn’t
know the ‘Wipkip’!
Nijha has received various innovation awards
over the past couple of years and is closely related
to the Johan Cruijff Foundation and Richard
Krajicek Foundation.
Nijha aims
to be a
creative,
reliable and
ground-breaking
partner that
offers total
solutions in the
International
sports,
educational
and leisure
activities
market.
17
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Interview
Based on the above I decided to approach
Nijha to see if they where interested in expending
their mainly European based market into Asia.
Who are your customers in Europe?
• Public authorities, municipalities, schools,
sports clubs and playgrounds.
• 60% of all the municipalities in the Netherlands
are customers of ours. These relationships
have been built up over the past 80 years.
• Nijha is also active on an international level:
we operate in the European sports and games
market.
• Customers play an important role in product
development. For example, we worked closely
with the European Handball Federation to
develop a new competition goal.
International partners
In order to remain innovative it is important
to learn from practical experience. We do this
by talking to customers and taking their wishes
seriously. Another way to achieve this is by forming
partnerships. It is important that such partnerships
provide an added value for both parties. The aim is
to exchange knowledge and strengthen each other.
As mentioned above one of Nijha’s partnerships is
the European Handball Federation.
This partnership focuses on 2 areas: competitive
sport and recreational sport.
As a partner Nijha supplies the goals for all
European championship and Champions League
matches. Nijha is also a beach handball partner.
Besides being the official supplier of goals and
beach handballs for European matches, we have
also developed inflatable court lines. These lines
are more visible and provide plenty of space for
sponsor messages. On the recreational sports side,
Nijha is involved in projects designed to encourage
young children to play handball.
Building on my network with the various
Singaporean entities I’m convinced that we will
see the number of Nijha products rise in Singapore
at schools, HDB apartments and the professional
sports arena. These products have 100% Dutch
DNA, and it’s very exciting to bring these into
Asia. I’m truly proud to be representing Nijha in
this part of the world!
Bizz Agenda
Low Cost Airlines World
Asia Pacific 2009
10 - 12 February
Suntec
www.terrapinn.com/2009/Ica
FTTx 2009
Connecting networks at the
speed of light
16 - 18 February 2009
Carlton Hotel
www.magenta-global.com.sg/FTTx/
Breakbulk Asia Conference
& Exhibition
Managing Market Opportunities amid
a Global slowdown
17 &18 February
Suntec
www.joc.com/conferences/bb_asia/
Outsourcing Asia Summit
18 – 20 February 2009
Raffles City Convention Centre
www.outsourcingasia.com.sg/
Global Healthcare Congress
2009 (GHC ’09)
Crossing International Borders and
Healthcare Cities & Hospitals of the Future
23 – 26 February 2009
Grand Hyatt
www.magenta-global.com.sg/healthcare/
Asian Shipping & Work Boat 2009
24 - 26 February
Suntec
www.baird-online.com
18
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Know your tax
Termination of employment and
tax planning By Barbara Voskamp, attorney-at-law and tax adviser at Loyens & Loeff Singapore
It is the topic of the day. Are you still safe?
Is your employer downsizing already?
What are the odds of an early repatriation?
What if they make you redundant? Is there
any prospect on a severance payment?
And if a severance pay is granted can I
do any tax planning?
Most (Dutch) expats concluded an
employment contract with a (Dutch)
employer and a separate secondment
agreement. Most of the time both
agreements are governed by Dutch law.
If it is decided that the employment
contract is going to be terminated, in
determining the severance pay a Dutch
employer usually uses the cantonal
formula (the ‘kantonrechtersformule’): A
x B x C as a guideline. For the purpose of
this formula A is equal to the employee’s
years of service. As from January 1, 2009
years of service before the age of 35
count for 0.5; years of service between
the ages of 35 and 45 count for 1 and
years of service after the employee has
reached the age of 45 count for 1.5. B is
equal to the employee’s salary, including
holiday allowance, and, depending on
the circumstances, other benefits such
as a bonus, hardship allowance
and special expat allowances.
C is the correction factor
which in most cases will be
set at 1. Depending on the
circumstances — who is at fault
and to what degree — C may
be adjusted up or downwards.
I f p a r t i e s , e i t h e r
mutually agreed or by court
order, have determined the
amount that should be paid
as a severance payment,
it should be determined if
the severance payment is
subject to tax in Singapore
and/or the Netherlands. It is
determined that under normal
circumstances a severance
pay should be treated as
income from employment
under the treaty to avoid
double taxation between the
Netherlands and Singapore.
The Dutch Supreme Court in
this perspective decided that
the Netherlands tax authorities may only
tax that part of the severance payment
that is allocated to the Netherlands on
basis of the following formula. Firstly
the total employment income in the year
of the termination of the employment
contract and the four previous years
should be determined (I). Then it should
be determined what portion of the total
employment income was subject to tax in
the Netherlands (II). The Dutch Supreme
Court decided that the Netherlands may
only tax the portion of the severance
payment that equals the portion of
the total employment income that
was subject to tax in the Netherlands
divided by the total employment income
(severance pay x I/II). An example:
If an employee in the 5 years before
the termination of his employment
agreement earned a total employment
income of 100, and only 50 was subject
to Dutch income tax under the treaty
to avoid double taxation, then if a
severance payment is paid only 50% of
the severance pay may be subjected to
Dutch income tax. This only applies if the
employee is a tax resident of Singapore at
the time of payment of the severance. If
at that time the employee is considered a
tax resident of the Netherlands different
rules apply.
Assuming that the severance payment
is a compensation for the loss of office
which was not contractually agreed by
means of a golden parachute clause the
severance pay is not subject to Singapore
personal income tax.
In reaching a settlement agreement
regarding the termination of the
employment agreement with your
employer or your employee it might be
useful to consider the tax consequences. If
the employee is considered a tax resident
of Singapore at the time the severance
payment is due, the overall tax burden
is 0%, whereas if he was considered
a tax resident in the Netherlands the
severance payment is subject to normal
progressive rates with a maximum of 52%.
In reaching an agreement as an employer
it may be useful to be aware of the tax
residency of your employee at the time
the severance payment is made, whereas
as an employee it may be useful to push
forward your repatriation.
19
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Lifestyle
New Year’s Resolution
By Dennis van der Meijs
This is bad timing for me to write this article!
After all the party’s, food and drinks in December,
I decided to start the new year with a serious detox
to give my body a chance to recuperate from all
the festivities. I am sure I was not the only one
that decided to ‘take it easy’ for a while when
sobering up on new years day.
It’s January and I am enjoying the tropical
breeze in Singapore. Holland is almost arctic
right now. At least, when you read the on-line
news papers and listen to those of you that just
returned from a (working) visit there. While I am
fighting a constant hungry feeling and pictures of
nice cocktails and ice cold Tigers and Heinekens
are flashing through my mind, I am writing you
about.........food and drinks?!
This sounds a bit like self punishment but it
is not. Since the ADB member survey conducted
in December showed that there is no specific
restaurant or bar that is particularly popular with
the Dutchies (there are many that you go to) it
was decided during the last editorial committee
meeting that we will continue to provide tips on
restaurants and bars that maybe of interest to
you. In December I wrote about some of the many
posh places that can be found on the island. This
time I would like to share with you some nice,
down to earth places. Restaurants and ‘watering
holes’ that are different from most places either
in quality of food or atmosphere and which will
not cost you an arm and a leg; at least if you
don’t exaggerate.
Let’s start with my favourite cuisine, Indian.
There are many places around but if you are in
for something really local, check out one of the
many restaurants at Race Course Road (Little
India). Join the crowds at The Banana Leaf Apollo
for typical South Indian dishes served on a banana
leaf. Sorry, no plates or cutlery, you eat with your
hands. Try the fish head curry, that’s the dish the
Banana Leaf Apollo is famous for. If this is a bit
too local for you, try Muthu’s Curry also on Race
Course Road and basically next door to the Banana
Leaf. The interior of Muthu’s is more ‘civilised’,
the food is of the same quality as the Banana Leaf
and the service is friendly and fast. Unlike the
Banana Leaf, Muthu’s offers a selection of wine.
Also worthwhile mentioning is Sammy’s Curry at
Dempsey. Sammy’s is not one of the hip places that
can be found at Dempsey. The restaurant is located
in an old British Army barrack. They say they
recently renovated the place but the very relaxed,
almost colonial atmosphere, is still there. You can
sit inside (no air-con) which looks like a canteen or
outside on the veranda. The food is typical South
Indian and they serve cold beer and wine.
If spicy Indian food is not your cup of tea and
you are more into seafood, East Coast Seafood
Centre is the place to go. Located halfway
between the city and the airport, East Coast
Seafood Centre is heaven for the true seafood
lover. East Coast Seafood Centre consists of several
Chinese style sea food restaurants that can sit
(and feed) at least a couple of hundred guests
each at the same time so don’t expect a cosy
atmosphere, it’s quite a massive happening. The
service is very fast and efficient. Jumbo Seafood
is the most famous restaurant there. Jumbo has
several outlets in Singapore, but the one at East
Coast is the ‘real one’. Ordering Singapore’s
national dish, chilli and pepper crab, is a must
here. Irrespective which restaurant you choose,
the seafood at East Coast Seafood Centre is
fresh and very tasty. In weekends a reservation
is required if you want a nice table outside, next
to the ocean. Enjoy the view of all the lights on
the the cargo ships waiting to load/ unload in
the Singapore harbour. Another great place for
seafood is No Signboard. No Signboard has several
outlets as well but the one at Geylang (No. 414
Geylang) is most popular. Don’t be surprised about
the restaurant’s ‘interior’. Although it is located
in the middle of Geylang, No Signboard has more
of a ‘strand tent‘ than a restaurant. In addition it
is probably the only restaurant in the world with
a driveway running through the premisses. Check
it out if you are in for something different. The
food is excellent and the prices very reasonable.
No Signboard is very popular, especially during
weekends, so be prepared to wait a while if you
have no reservation. When it comes to seating
the staff is very helpful and creative. If there is
no table available, no problem, they just pull up
a table and some chairs on the drive way?!
20
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Lifestyle
Should you ever plan a day trip to Pulau Ubin,
there is a very nice seafood restaurant right next
to the boat terminal. Pulau Ubin is a small island
just 10 minutes by bum boat from Changi Jetty
and perfect for walking or pedalling and is in
essence the last ‘kampung’ in Singapore. Bicycles
can be rented on the island at a small fee but
please be aware that the size of the bikes does not
necessarily fit the size of an average Dutch person.
They say that Pulau Ubin takes you back to what
Singapore was like in the 1960’s.
Another favourite place, especially with our
Australian and British ‘ang moh’ colleagues is
Colonial Bar, also known as Colbar at 9a Whitchurch
Road. What started out in 1953 at Jalan Hang Jebat
(a mere 5 minutes from its present location) as
a canteen and unofficial mess for the old British
army troops in Portsdown Road – it was literally
dismantled part-by-part, and reused for the
reconstruction of the new Colbar. Everything about
this place is basic (including the
food), almost non-Singaporean
but this is all compensated by
the relaxed tropical atmosphere
and the crowd. Ideal for kids as
there is plenty of space to run
and play safely. Colbar has a
wide selection of cold beers. I
can recommend going there on
a lazy Sunday afternoon.
One of my personal favourites
is BluJaz Cafe located at 11
Bali Lane (Ophir Road opposite
Raffles Hospital/ Park View
building). Don’t have too high
expectations when you go to this
BluJaz Cafe
place. The interior is quite ‘arty
& chaotic’, so is the outdoor seating area which
gives Blujaz it’s unique and relaxed atmosphere.
The food, they serve both international as well
as local favourites, is nice and value for money.
Blujaz also does great mojito’s (better then
Harry’s). They have live music on most evenings.
All different styles. The second and third floor
(for us 1 st and 2 nd ) is air conditioned and well
suited for private parties. The place is quite
busy, especially towards the end of the week
since many people that work in the area go there
for an afterwork drink (so does the writer of this
article).
Just around the corner on 697/ 699 North
Bridge Road is Singapore Zam Zam. The restaurant
is located across the road from Masjid Sultan
mosque. Zam Zam is an institution in Singapore
when it comes to murtabak. Murtabak is like a
prata stuffed with ground mutton or chicken,
chopped onions, and egg, and served hot. You
dip into a curry sauce. Zam Zam’s murtabak is
freshly made, very tasty and very cheap.
Now that I am writing about all these great
places, I realise once again what a wide selection
of restaurants and different foods are available
in Singapore. No matter what cuisine you like,
there seems to be something for everyone. But
aren’t we still missing something? With quite a
large Dutch community in Singapore, a Dutch
School, a Dutch Club, why don’t we have a Dutch
snack bar? A real Febo like shop that serves patat
speciaal, kroketten, frikandellen, bami happen,
nasi schijven uit de muur, pistoletjes osseworst and
broodjes filet american. The place to be ‘voor een
snelle hap’, especially after a night in the town!
Oh, I think the detox is really starting to kick in.
I am hungry!
Good places come and go. Should you like
to share some of your ‘culinary’ discoveries
with the other ADB members, please send your
suggestion including a short description to
adb@pacific.net.sg.
21
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Conference Calendar
A selection of upcoming conferences in the region in February/March:
9 th Annual Insolvency Practice Symposium
5 – 6 February, Melbourne
Financing for Real Estate Projects
1 - 4 March, Dubai
Islamic Securitisation World 2009
8 – 10 February, Dubai
Islamic Investment World Asia 2009
2 - 5 March, Kuala Lumpur
Contract Selection & Risk for Major Projects
9 - 11 February, Sydney
Water Leaders Congress 2009
3 – 4 March, Sydney
Marketing to Young Professionals
16 – 17 February, Singapore
5 th Annual HSE Risk Management Asia 2009
17 – 18 February, Kuala Lumpur
WA Power & Gas 2009
17 – 19 February, Perth
Fundamentals of Project Risk
23 – 25 February, Brisbane
Leaders in Brand Loyalty Congress 2009
24 – 25 February, Singapore
Anti-Monopoly & Competition Law Forum
24 – 26 February, Hong Kong
Business Improvement Strategies in
Mining & Processing
25 – 27 February, Brisbane
11 th Global Businesswomen and
Leaders Summit
8 - 9 March, Dubai
Strategic Merger and Acquisition
18 – 20 March, Kuala Lumpur
Real Estate Investment World China 2009
23 – 26 March, Shanghai
Asia Mining Congress 2009
23 – 27 March, Singapore
Transport India 2009
24 – 26 March, New Delhi
Wireless World Australia 2009
25 – 26 March, Sydney
Powerful Presentation Skills
25 – 26 March, Damansara Perdana
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 of the
conferences listed on Conference Bay!
22
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Column By…
Richard Soemita
Taxi drivers
I
have had it with taxi drivers! Last week I came out of the
movies with my daughter and got the cab outside Great
World City mall. We went home via Scotts Road where
there was a traffic jam. Not sure what our cab driver
was into but he followed the car in front with just a 10cm
gap. Sitting on someone’s tail is only meant for Johnny’s in
Amsterdam that drive jazzed up Toyota Corolla’s with velvet
around their steering wheel, white fur on their seat and spongy
dice stones hanging on the inside mirror. On this island people
cannot drive to save their lives, let alone doing fancy stuff on
the road. So the inevitable happened. Car in front stood on
his break and Uncle went flying straight into his back, no road
skid marks! Uncle got out of the car, left the meter running
and settled the issue with the other driver. I thought that it
went far too easy until he asked me to witness the event and
even told me that I had to make a false statement. Arriving at
our destination there was no words of apology or discounting
the fare. That’s what made me furious and decided to report
the truth to the taxi firm, which will hopefully result in him
paying for all the damage.
The majority of the cab drivers cannot drive, but driving
reckless with passengers is the limit. I take taxis nearly every
day and there are quite a few categories:
The Jerk – Uncle accelerates by pressing and releasing
the clutch every 3 seconds. Depending how far you have to
go you will be sick after 5 minutes. If you have to travel from
the city to Changi please ensure that you take sick bags with
you. Best of all, you may use these in flight before the plane
takes off.
The Analphabetic – Uncle has no clue where your
destination is, does not understand you and vice versa. Best of
all is to tell him to go to Circuit Road or Circular Road, if you
are unlucky you may end up on the other side of the island or
perhaps Kuala Lumpur. Please never make any mistakes with
Raffles Boulevard, Avenue or Link, these could be miles apart!
Be aware that Uncle will also start stressing out if he cannot
find the street, and then starts shouting at you and in the end
it is your fault why he cannot find the street. Do not expect
any discount on the fare.
The Shoulder – Uncle usually is the slim type of guy and
has lots of space around his seat. Whenever he changes lane
or makes a turn, it is not the arms only that do the steering
but both his arms and shoulders. This results in the whole car
shifting from left to right. Basically this is the same movement
as The Jerk but then left to right instead of front and back
movements. Never experienced an Uncle that does both the
Jerk and Shoulder, but the effect will be beyond throwing up,
combined with whiplash.
The Anticipator (NOT!) – Uncle does not look further than
the car in front of him. Even if this is a bus, 20 meters ahead,
that will stop at the bus stop. Uncle sees this and hopefully the
number of people at the bus stop. But typically he accelerates
and then jumps on his break when he stops behind the bus.
Since the typical Singaporean driver does not give way, Uncle
ends up behind the bus for minutes whilst all traffic goes past
him in the next lane.
The Hesitator – Uncle is a total nervous wreck and looks
into his mirrors for at least 90% of the time. Whenever he tries
to move lane, he hesitates and starts pulling the steering wheel
like someone else is pulling this the other way. This usually
causes the passenger to hyperventilate, well at least that is
the effect it has on me.
The Questioner – it is generally known that a lot retired
policemen become cab drivers. Uncle normally never starts a
conversation, but when the interrogation starts you know that
he is an ex cop. Normally I do not mind having a chat with Uncle
but in this case you get questions like: what you pay for your
condo, how much you earn, are you married and I even had a
question about my sex life. So, do not expect any light questions
about your country or the weather.
The F1 driver – occasionally you come across an Uncle that
goes breakneck speed and seems to know where all the cameras
are. Only annoying thing is that Uncle is too busy with racing and
most of the time forgets to change gear. Pulls up in 2 nd gear and
takes corners in 3 rd gear. The more experienced ones do that in
3 rd and 4 th gear. Wonder how Uncle would operate a lorry in the
French Alps. Typically, Uncle does not stay in 1 lane but drives
exactly on the middle of the line, therefore occupying 2 lanes.
The Part-timer – these guys are the limit. Cannot drive,
cannot talk properly but most of all do not have a clue where
they are or need to go. They tend to be younger and friendly,
I guess to compensate for their handicaps. As soon as you
mention your destination you do not get the standard question
which way you want to go, but how to get there. He then starts
driving in a direction and looks totally puzzled. But soon you
find out by yourself (u see Customs at Johor Bahru?) that he
has no clue where to go. My last experience ended up in Uncle
hyperventilating and I decided to swap to a different taxi at the
next traffic light which took me the opposite way. He was very
kind to apologize to me and said: ‘part time lah’.
At the moment I just have had it with these cab drivers and
am now seriously considering buying my own car or setting up a
driving school for taxi drivers!
23
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Event Agenda
Singapore
Love Letters
DATE : 5-15 February 2009
Tues - Fri, 8pm
Sat & Sun, 3pm & 8pm
VENUE : National Museum
Gallery Theatre
DURATION : Approx 1 hr 45 mins
TICKET PRICE (EXCLUDE BOOKING FEE):
Tue-Thu & Sun Evening 8pm, Standard - $40
Fri & Sat Evening 8pm, Standard - $45
Sat & Sun Matinee 3pm, Standard - $35
SYNOPSIS
At the heart of Singapore Love Letters are two amazing
stories. Akan datang, a funny, nostalgic and touching play
about an enchanting love affair between a couple in 1960’s
- inspired by a series of love notes found behind 50-year-old
movie tickets; and Wife #11, an untold story set in 1920’s
about a charismatic polygamist and his eleven wives.
A unique Valentine theatrical experience, audiences
will be wowed by lively multimedia sequences, fun
audience interactive ‘love games’, and a segment featuring
dramatized presentations of actual love letters contributed
by Singaporeans.
ACTION Theatre is a non-profit professional theatre
company that focuses on developing and presenting original
new works, ACTION Theatre is known for its refreshing
approach in creating stage plays that explore topical and
contemporary issues in an imaginative manner. www.action.
org.sg
Starring Tan Kheng Hua, Casey Lim and a cast of exciting
new talents, Singapore Love Letters is conceptualized and
produced by ACTION Theatre’s artistic director Ekachai
Uekrongtham, with plays written by award-winning playwright
Desmond Sim. Directed by Samantha Scott-Blackhall and
featuring multimedia design by Brian Gothong Tan.
Breakout: Korean
Extreme Dance Comedy
DATE : 13-15 February 2009
Fri, 8pm
Sat, 3pm & 8pm
Sun, 3pm
DURATION : Approx 80 Mins
TICKET PRICE (EXCLUDE BOOKING FEE):
Standard - S$78, S$68, S$58, S$38
SYNOPSIS
After taking the world by storm with JUMP, the Extreme
Martial Arts Comedy, production company YEGAM Inc.
and SEVENSENSE Inc. is riding that storm in style with
their brand new production - “BREAKOUT”, an Extreme
Dance Comedy.
Featuring top quality performers including Korea’s
award-winning and leading B-Boys, “BREAKOUT” is the
right mix of all the winning elements imaginable – flashing
hot B-Boys dance moves, stunning gymnastics, as well
as uproarious slapstick humour, all guaranteed to keep
audiences riveted to the edge of their seats! A newly
designed, non-verbal dynamic performance mixed with
extreme break-dancing, and peppered with hilarious
comedic moments, BREAKOUT tells the tale of a prison
breakout with the comical fugitives finding temporary
shelter at a convent!
Designed to appeal to people of all ages and across
all cultures, BREAKOUT was an instant hit success at their
world premier in the West End last year and registered
a sold-out box office appearance at Edinburgh Fringe
Festival 2007. Its open run in Korea since December
2007 as well as its US and Asia tour this year has also
been more than well received. Come February 2009, this
long awaited performance looks set to ‘wow’ Singapore
audiences with their awe inspiring dance moves and
dazzling performance. BREAKOUT – a unique and not-tobe-missed
performance.
DROOG BROOD: “de Kip met de Gouden Enkels”
DATE : 14 February, 8pm VENUE : Hollandse Club, Main Hall
TICKET PRICE : S$55 (HC member), S$ 67.50 (Guest)
SYNOPSIS
Dutch quality cabaret coming to Singapore! Actors Bas Hoeflaak and Peter
de Witte (both trained at the Academie voor Kleinkunst, Amsterdam), show
us a recognizable world, but at the same time a world nobody hopes to live
in. A constraining world of human incapabilities and painfull situations, a
world in which brutality is standing around the corner like a sniper, ready to
strike. De “Kip met de Gouden Enkels” is a hilaric kind of relation therapy,
with a lot of subtile humor. For more info see: http://www.droogbrood.
nl/Droogbrood
24
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Event Agenda
Electrolab 2009
DATE : 19 February 2009
Thur, 8pm
VENUE
: Esplanade Recital Studio
DURATION : Approx 120 mins
TICKET PRICE (EXCLUDE BOOKING FEE):
Standard - S$28
SYNOPSIS
Hear the songs of one of the most influential British electronic
bands as you’ve never imagined!
Depeche Mode was formed in 1980 and is one of the most
successful bands to have emerged from the New Wave and New
Romantic movement in Brtish music. The group has since survived
trends and fads, selling a whopping 72 million records worldwide
while its distinctive sound. Its music and lyrics have inspired and
influenced generations of musicians and music fans, and the group
remains as popular today as it was two decades ago.
This night, four unlikely Singaporean bands will come together
for a black celebration of the music of Depeche Mode. Enjoy it
delivered in skank mode by Singapore’s longest-lasting reggae band,
Bushmen and given a hip-hop take by Freaky Z will have a hip hop
take. Hear its industrial sound get possibly grittier in the hands of
veteran hardcore band 4sides, and its electronic textures remade
by The Karl Maka style by the homegrown
electronic duo.
Rod Stewart
DATE : 28 February 2009 Sat, 8pm
VENUE : Singapore Indoor Stadium
TICKET PRICE (Exclude Booking Fee):
Standard - S$399, S$299, S$199, S$129, S$89
SYNOPSIS
Rod Stewart, the legendary British singer and
songwriter will grace Singapore Indoor Stadium, on
28 th February 2009 to perform his greatest classics
of all time.
Born in 1945, the London-born performer
captivated the world with his stellar collection
of hits, spanning over four decades; Maggie May,
Every Picture Tells A Story, Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?,
Have I Told You Lately, Reason to Believe, Tonight’s
the Night and many more.
His songs resonate in the hearts and minds of
fans, with over 250 million record sales and his
staying power in the music history.
The legend that is Rod Stewart is a must see
concert. Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity
as he enthralls you with his greatest hits. Go get
your tickets now!
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
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Business news
Sources: Het Financieele Dagblad and Reuters
Downturn bites, industrial sales plunge
The economic downturn is beginning to bite in the Netherlands with manufacturers
reporting a fall in turnover of a record 14% in November 2008, according to new figures
from the national statistics office CBS. This is the biggest annual decrease since the
beginning of the 1990s when figures were first recorded. The fall was 3% month-onmonth.
Manufacturing output was also down 6% in November. This is ‘a very sharp
fall’ and the biggest ever recorded, the CBS reports. ‘The Dutch economy was also
slow in the years 2001 to 2003, but the decline was much more gradual. This time
there was a rapid shift,’ says CBS economist Michiel Vergeer. All sectors have been
hit by the slump but the biggest losses have been in the clothing, chemical, natural
gas, rubber and plastic industries.
Recession
The CBS points out that the figures were affected by the fact that November 2008
had two fewer working days than the same month in 2007 and that sales prices were
lower. The Netherlands is forecasted to enter a full blown recession this year and the
government’s economic policy think tank says companies which depend on exports will
bear the brunt of the downturn. Meanwhile the Financieele Dagblad reports that small
and medium-sized companies are finding it much harder to attract credit because of
the financial crisis. One quarter of companies with between 100 and 250 workers are
pessimistic about their chances to secure loans, the paper says.
Essent takeover ‘includes nuclear plant’
The takeover of Holland’s biggest energy utility Essent by the German power giant
RWE includes the Dutch firm’s 50% stake in the Netherlands’ only nuclear power plant,
Borssele. Dutch economic affairs minister Maria van der Hoeven said in October that
the possibility of Dutch nuclear energy facilities coming into foreign hands was ‘not an
option’, the paper says. The remaining 50% of Borssele is owned by the Dutch utility
Delta. The minister said she could not comment on the deal between RWE and Essent as
she does not yet know the details. RWE is expected to invest ‘several billion euros’ in the
Netherlands in the coming 3 years. Essent will continue to operate under its own name
in Holland under a management team consisting of 2 RWE and 2 Essent executives.
Not green enough for WWF
Meanwhile conservation organisation WWF is considering dumping Essent as its lead
sponsor. ‘Unlike Essent, RWE has a very modest reputation in the area of sustainable
climate policy,’ WWF’s director Johan van de Gronden is quoted as saying. ‘The company
makes extensive use of coal-fired power plants and as far as we know, no ambition to
change this.’ Essent and the WWF have worked together since 1995 when the utility
became the first to bring green energy onto the Dutch market.
Alitalia agrees to Air
France-KLM offer
Struggling Italian airline Alitalia has
agreed to Air France-KLM’s bid to buy
a 25% stake in the company for €322m.
The deal makes the French and Dutch
airline group the biggest shareholder
in Alitalia. Last year they wanted to
take over the Italian company but
prime minister Silvio Berlusconi made
his opposition to the plan part of his
election campaign. Since then, Alitalia
has been reorganised and 7,000 jobs
have gone.
CDA stalwart heads
newspaper group
Building sector chief Elco Brinkman has
been appointed by the government to
head a committee looking into ways of
stimulating and financing innovation within
the newspaper sector. The government
has set aside €8mln for the innovation
programme to help newspapers cope
with falling sales and advertising income.
Brinkman, a Christian Democratic party
stalwart and former MP and minister, is
currently chairman of the construction
sector organisation Bouwend Nederland.
Muslims boycott Aldi,
Lidl supermarkets
A number of Dutch Muslims boycotted
German supermarket groups Aldi and Lidl
on Saturday in the mistaken belief that
the two chains’ turnover from January 10
was destined for Israel. Even though the
supermarkets denied the rumours, calls
for a boycott raced through the Muslim
community by internet and mobile phone.
The retailers will not say if Saturday’s
turnover was affected. Muslims are angry
at Israel’s attacks on Gaza, which are now
in their third week. ‘I had doubts about its
[the message’s] authenticity but better
safe than sorry,’ one young Muslim woman
in The Hague as saying. She received
the message 10 times. Yassin Elforkani,
chairman of the Dutch imam’s union, says
it is silly to believe these sorts of messages
but that he understands people’s feelings.
‘Many feel angry and powerless about what
is going on in Gaza. A boycott is the least
they can do,’ he said. Ibrahim Yerden from
Amsterdam University says that there are
a number of boycott lists in circulation.
‘For example, they ask if a Jew is behind
European and American products,’ he said.
Muslim organisations have held a number
of demonstrations in the Netherlands
against the war in Gaza.
More million-euro
homes in Holland
The number of homes in the Netherlands
worth upwards of €1m rose 33% in 2008 to
24,500, says the national statistics office
CBS. Most of them - 16,000 – are in Noord
and Zuid-Holland provinces. The most
expensive houses are in Bloemendaal near
Haarlem, while Reiderland in Groningen
and Heerlen have the cheapest homes.
Dutch buy over one
million pairs of skates
Over one million pairs of skates costing a
total of €80m have been bought over the
past few weeks, according to calculations
by banking group ING. Three out of 10
people polled said they have been skating
over the past week and one in 3 of them
had bought new skates. The average price
of a new pair of skates is €50, ING said.
26
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Association Info
Job Seekers / Internship
Name : Michel Bieze
Age : 24
Tel. no. : +31 6 45768965
Study: Business Administration, MSc (University of Twente),
Industrial Engineering and Management, BSc (University of
Twente)
Specialization track: Service Management
Working experience: 1 year
06/2007 – 08/2008: Process Analyst
Gladior BV / Indenty BV (Online Marketing), Enschede, The
Netherlands.
— Responsible for recognizing and implementing
improvements in primary processes.
— Providing training to management and employees in
quality and service management related subjects.
— Successfully supported the firm in decreasing the time
spend on question and complaint handling (from over
100 till 20 hours a month).
— Contributed to improving the quality of search engine
marketing campaigns.
— Actively involved in the reformulation of the strategic
plan.
— Published two papers in the field of online marketing.
Further experience: Worked for three years as a studentassistant
at the Univerisity of Twente (for two courses).
Besides this, I worked for five years as an all-round store
assistant in several branch offices of the supermarket
chain Aldi.
Internships: PT. Sarandi Karya Nugraha (Indonesia) and
Gladior BV (The Netherlands).
Study related experience: Board member of the Recruitment
Days foundation of the University of Twente. After my board
membership I have been on the ‘treasury audit committee’
and the ‘supervisory board’ of this foundation. I also have
been a member of a high-school debate team. Last but not
least, I was involved in several committees of my student
association.
Looking for: A graduation internship in the field of Business
Administration for the period May 2009 – September 2009.
Other periods would also be of interest to me.
I am interested in a topic related to service innovation
(new service development and user involvement), service
process management, or online marketing / online
community management.
Name : Inge Baars
Age : 18
Tel. no. home : +31 6 21710042
Email-address : inge.baars@student.hu.nl
Study: IBMS (International Business and Management Studies)
Specialization: Management, Marketing, Finance, Logistics
I’m currently in my second year of IBMS. Starting in mid-April 2009,
the internship needs to take 10 weeks in a country abroad. It’s my
first internship for my study, so it’s to experience the economy.
Looking for: The internship I’m looking for is in the field of marketing
or management. These are the fields I’m most interested in, but
I’m open for any experiences for my study. I would like to learn
about how companies work in real life and experience different
cultures. I’m a fluent English speaker and my internship needs to
be in English as well.
Canadian International School invites suitable
candidates to apply for the following position:
ADMISSIONS OFFICER
Essential job functions:
• Attend to all enquirers (telephone, emails, personal tours
and interviews) of CIS’ programme
• Attend to the admissions and maintenance of all students
of assigned campus
Minimum requirements:
• Good interpersonal and excellent communication skills,
and ability to freely and openly engage in discussions with
a multicultural clientele
• Highly fluent in English (both written and oral). A second
language is an asset
• Some working experience in a multi-cultural environment
preferred
• Sound knowledge of computers and good working
knowledge of Word, Excel and Access. Comfortable
with learning new programmes
• Good organizational skills, and ability to work within a
team environment
• Knowledge of IBO and/or International school programmes
would be an asset
Please send your resumes with a recent photo to apply@cis.
edu.sg or contact Joanna Lim at 6469-4962
27
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Association Info
New Members
February event
Strictly for ADB members only
Arthur van der Wateren, Philips
Cailu Chu
Christine Tran, Terrapinn
Daniel Kleijn, J.P. Morgan
Dennis Hendriksen, Citco
Desi Wentink, DiningCity.com
Florentine van Oosten Slingeland,
Van Oosten Slingeland
Floris Fibbe, Fortis
Frank van de Moosdijk, Pelican Worldwide
Harrie de Wit, Hertel
Ima Schoonbeek, BP
Iris van den Berg, BT
Jan van As, De lage Landen
Johannes Wolvius, ING Bank
Kartal Cona, NIBC Bank
Laurence Caron
Lies Ellison-Davis, GMC
Maarten Kelder, Monitor Group
Margreet Mennes, Embassy of the Netherlands
Piet Sinke, T&T Bisso Salvage Asia
René van Woerkom, DSM
Rishi Gainda, Unilever
Rob Blokvoord, Van Leeuwen Pipe & Tube
Sjoerd Manschot, Philips
Sara Caris
Willem Anne Hoekstra
Wout Kalis, HSBC
Lecture on the salvage and recovery operation
of the Russian nuclear submarine ‘Kursk’
The ADB is pleased to announce a lecture on the
salvage and recovery operation of the Russian
Nuclear submarine “Kursk” which tragically sank
in the Barentz Sea in August 2000. This operation
which is a typical example of “Hollands Glorie” was
jointly executed by Dutch companies Mammoet and
SMIT International. The lecture will be presented
by Captain Piet Sinke who spent 32 years with SMIT
International in Rotterdam. He started his career
as a deckhand and worked his way through the
ranks becoming a Captain on SMIT’s ocean going tugs at the age of 26 years.
During the Gulf War in the eighties, Piet was responsible for many salvage
operations in the Persian Gulf. From 1990 to 1999 he was stationed in SMIT
Singapore’s office executing all kind of marine projects in the Far East. In
1999 Piet returned to Rotterdam to take up a position as a salvage master
with Smit Tak. In 2007 Piet left SMIT and returned to Singapore in order to
focus on his world wide distributed “Maritime Newsclippings” and to start
up a new salvage company operating from Singapore.
During the salvage operation of the “Kursk” Piet was responsible for the
operation and was in overall command on the main lifting pontoon “Giant 4”.
On the 9 th of February, Piet will give a lecture including many unique pictures
and slides about this famous operation to the members of the ADB.
Date : 9 th February 2009 Drinks : 19:30 hrs
Venue : Main Hall, Hollandse Club Lecture : 20:00 hrs
Leaving Members
Alice Beurze, Standard Chartered
Anouk Binkhuysen, BINC’s Consultancy
Antoinette van der Linden, Helutrans
Bas van Buuren, ING Bank
Benoit Hanssen
Cees van de Sande
Christiaan Borsje, Van Oord
Edwin Jager, NIBC Bank
Henrriette van Brenk
Jeroen Plag, ING Bank
Jeroen Thijs
Johan Vooren, Philips
Leonie Baartscheer, Asia Welcome
Marc Verbrugghe, Boskalis
Marcel Kuiper, AXA
Martijn van Tuyl, DVB Bank
Michelle Stoker
Mick Koopman
Nu To Van, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Rob Heijliger, ING
Rogier Wentink, Foris
Theo Splinter
Tjalling van Asbeck, Adimec
Vincent Knoops, Air France KLM
MEMBERSHIP FEE 2009
Have you paid your membership fee for 2009?
You are kindly requested to arrange payment at your earliest convenience.
Payment can be made as follows:
1. By crossed cheque made payable to: “Association of Dutch Businessmen”,
and send your cheque to Association of Dutch Businessmen, c/o 22 Camden
Park Singapore 299814
Please state your name on cheque.
2. In cash and send/deliver to/at for the attention of ADB, c/o 22 Camden
Park, Singapore 299814
3. By internet
Bank name : Standard Chartered Bank, Battery Road
Benificiary : Association of Dutch Businessmen
Account # : 01-0-837759-8
Branch : 001
Bank code : 7144
Please make sure that your name will be stated on our bank statement.
Your prompt payment will be appreciated.
The ADB will implement memberships for students as per 1 January 2009.
Membership will be SGD 50 per calendar year. Students are invited to sign
up via the website: www.adb.org.sg; see membership, sign up students.
28
Vol.19 • No. 1 • February 2009

Once in a while,
we do give in to trends.
For instance in 1894,
we started using bottlecaps.