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Practice and Thought Leaders



Amb. Ong Keng Yong
Director, Institute of Policy Studies
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore


ONG Keng Yong is Director of the Institute of Policy Studies in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He is concurrently Ambassador-At-Large in the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Iran.

He was Secretary-General of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) from January 2003 to January 2008. His diplomatic postings took him to Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and the USA. He was Singapore’s Ambassador to India and Nepal from 1996-1998. He was appointed Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of Singapore and concurrently held senior positions in the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, and the People's Association in Singapore from 1998-2002.

He is a graduate of the University of Singapore and Georgetown University (Washington DC, USA).


Singapore is located 1 degree or 136.8km north of the equator. It has a total land area of 699 square kilometers and a population of about four million. Situated at the crossroads of East and West, Singapore is one of the busiest sea and airports in the world. Its strategic position has also made it a hub for trade, communications and tourism activities.

Singapore is known for its hot and humid weather, with little variation throughout the year. The average daytime temperature is 31ºC (88ºF), dropping to around 24ºC (75ºF) in the evenings. The monsoon season can bear down pretty heavily on our tropical weather from November onwards, so be prepared for rain on a daily basis during this period.

Singapore voltage is 220 – 240 volts AC, 50 cycles per second.

The currency used in Singapore is the Singapore dollar (S$). Money changing services can be found not only at the Singapore Changi Airport but also most shopping centres and hotels around the island. You can also access the automated teller machines (ATMs) located everywhere (even in the most obscure bits) in Singapore, that accept most of the main credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

Visa may be required for certain nationalities. Please visit www.ica.gov.sg to verify if you need to apply for a visa before entering into Singapore. The visa application form is available free of charge at all Singapore overseas mission. Should you require a invitation letter to support your visa letter, kindly write in to the Secretariat for your request. Please also note that visitors to Singapore must meet the following entry requirements:-