Singapore  - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has assured Singaporeans that his government would help the needy tackle the economic crisis, media reports said Monday.

"We will make sure that everyone who needs help will get help, and everyone who makes the effort to help himself and his family, we will make sure he is all right," Lee said Sunday night at a Chinese New Year dinner in his ward in Ang Mo Kio.

Singapore - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Wednesday congratulated Abhisit Vejjajiva on being appointed Thailand's new prime minister, and urged the need to discuss the global financial crisis at the upcoming summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"There is much that we need to discuss at the ASEAN summit, particularly given the financial crisis that has affected the world. I am heartened that you have said that you favour an early summit," said Lee in a congratulatory letter.

Singapore  - Singaporean President SR Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will take a 19 per cent salary cut next year, leading a civil-service-wide downward salary adjustment to offset the impact of the global financial crisis, local media reports said Tuesday.

The president and prime minister would earn 3.14 million Singapore dollars (2.07 million US dollars ) and 3.04 million Singapore dollars (2 million US dollars) with the cuts in
2009.

Singapore  - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the President-elect Barack Obama win in Tuesday's elections did not mean race was no longer an issue in the United States.

"People were tired, they wanted something different, and Mr Obama represented something different," the Sunday Times quoted Lee as saying.

Obama's victory marked a "historic change" for America, he said during a community dialogue on Saturday.

Singapore  - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long Wednesday congratulated Barak Obama on being elected the 44th president of the United States.

Citing the challenges ahead, Lee made a case to president-elect Obama for the importance of South-East Asia to the United States.

"The US has many friends and many interests in this region, which is happily not a problem region for the US," said Lee.

"We can keep it that way. An ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) with strong ties to the US will help to keep the peace in the Asia-Pacific," he said.

Singapore - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will make an official visit to China from October 22 to 27 in conjunction with his attendance at the ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) VII Summit, the government announced Tuesday.

Lee will be accompanied by Mrs Lee, Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo, Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan, Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang, members of parliament and senior government officials.

In Beijing, Prime Minister Lee will meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, National Standing Committee (NPC) Chairman Wu Bangguo and Vice Premier Li Keqiang, as well as other senior Chinese leaders, said the Singapore Foreign Ministry.