Dr Yaacob Ibrahim extends condolences to family of Lo Hwei Yen
Posted: 30 November 2008 0259 hrs

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SINGAPORE : Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, said he is saddened by the news of the death of Singaporean lawyer Lo Hwei Yen, who was taken hostage in Mumbai.

Speaking at the sidelines of the Community Leaders Forum 2008, Dr Yaacob described what had befallen Ms Lo as "unimaginable".

Dr Yaacob, who knows Ms Lo's father-in-law, veteran grassroots leader Stanley Puhaindran, said he shared the grief of Ms Lo's death with her family and fellow Singapreans.

He however added he believed that the attacks will not affect racial harmony in Singapore.

The Singapore Muslim community, he said, has moved on beyond the issue of 9/11 in recognising that the work of an individual does not affect the entire community.

He is confident that the community's resilience and social cohesion has the strength to weather this.

"We realise this problem will continue for a very long time. We are committed, as the government, to deal with this crisis," said Dr Yaacob.

He added: "As you know, we have put systems, programmes and processes in place, and we hope we can get rid of terrorism... because it is really doing a lot of harm." - CNA /ls