H E Mr Lee Yock Suan

SEAMEC President Activities 1993
As 1993 SEAMEC President, H E Mr Lee Yock Suan, Minister for Education of Singapore, visited three Member Countries, namely Indonesia, Viet Nam and Thailand. Due to time constraint and a busy work schedule, he was unable to visit the other Member Countries. The visit to Indonesia took place from 27 to 27 July 1993. H E Mr Lee paid a courtesy call on his Excellency, General Try Sutrisno, Vice President of Indonesia, and his Excellency, Professor Dr-Ing Wardiman Djojonegoro, Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture.
The SEAMEC President visited SEAMEO TROPMED Regional Centre for Community Nutrition at the University of Indonesia. He was briefed by officials TROPMED on its operations and training programmes. H E Mr Lee also visited SEAMEO BIOTROP in Bogor, West Java. His visit coincided with the 25th Anniversary of the Centre. He toured the BIOTROP campus, including the SEAWIC Herbarium, Remote Sensing Laboratory, Tissue Culture Laboratory, and Fish Health Laboratory. In his short speech, his Excellency encouraged BIOTROP to further collaborate with the private sector to promote its interest in BIOTROP's activities and to help raise funds. His excellency also visit the famous Botanical Garden of Bogor, the biggest and oldest in Southeast Asia.
The SEAMEC of President visited Wanagama in Yogyakarta. Wanagama is a reforestation project of about 600 hectares under the charge of the Faculty of Forestry, Gadjah Mada University. It also serves as a field work centre for training education and research for students, farmers and other people on reforestation. He also had a cultural visit to Borobudur, Phrambanan and the Korton. The President of SEAMEC visited Viet Nam from 23 to 25 August 1993. He called on his Excellency, Professor Dr Tran Hong Quan, Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training and was briefed on the Vietnamese education system and its priorities. While in Hanoi, he visited the University of Hanoi and laid a wreath at the tomb of Ho Chi Minh.
In Ho Chi Minh City, his Excellency visited the SEAMEO building which previously housed INNOTECH. He suggested that this training Centre could operate on a self-financing basis, like SEAMEO RELC. It would be able to generate revenue to finance SEAMEO programmes for Viet Nam and other Member Countries. His Excellency also visited the University of Ho Chi Minh City where he was briefed on its organization structure and academic programmes.
From 25 to 26 August 1993, the President of SEAMEC visited Thailand. He paid a courtesy call on his Excellency Mr Pramote Sukhum, Acting Minister of Education, Thailand. In Bangkok, H E Mr Lee visited the SEAMEO TROPMED and SEAMEO SPAFA. Professor Dr Tan Chongsuphajaisiddhi, Director of TROPMED Thailand informed the President of SEAMEC that the Centre had conducted short, in-country courses in Lao PDR and other parts of Indochina, with the assistance of two Associate Member Countries-France and Australia. His Excellency was of the view that such SEAMEO Projects in Indochina would provide a catalytic effect for the Indochina countries to implement their own training. He met some training participants during his tour of the Culture. The President of SEAMEC next visited SPAFA. He was impressed with the range of facilities available. He suggested that SPAFA should diversify into more revenue-generating activities to meet part of SPAFA's operating costs. The President of SEAMEC's last stop was at SEAMES, where he met Professor Dr Ruben C Umaly, SEAMES Director as well as staff members of the Secretariat.
The President of SEAMEC visited the SEAMEO Secretariat Library and was briefed by Ms Tiraporn Tangkoskul, the Documentation Officer.
Having visited several SEAMEO Centres, the President of SEAMEC felts that SEAMEO should further optimise its operations and use of resources to meet the needs of the SEAMEO Member Countries. He was also of the view that the SEAMEO Centres should adopt flexibility in conducting their training programmes to meet the Member Countries' needs as well as to suit the changing donors' support. The SEAMES Director accompanied the SEAMEC President in all these visits.