PM tours KL while on leaders' retreat

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching were hosted to a private dinner by Malaysian Premier Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor last night.

The dinner took place on a boat that cruised the lake in Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital.

PM Lee is in the country for the Malaysia-Singapore leaders' retreat with a delegation that includes nine ministers.

The ministers were also each hosted to dinner by their counterparts last night.

Earlier yesterday, PM Lee and his wife went on a quick tour of some of Kuala Lumpur's most famous places to catch up on the latest developments in Malaysia's capital. They walked around the Bukit Bintang shopping district and Bangsar Village for about half an hour in the afternoon, where they bumped into some Singaporeans, and curious onlookers snapped photographs of them with their cellphones.

Bangsar Village is a popular area known for its restaurants.

Mr Lee visited these areas to see the new developments that have taken place in Kuala Lumpur over the last 10 years, said his press secretary Chang Li Lin.

Mr Lee was also given a driving tour of Kuala Lumpur Central and the forthcoming Tun Razak Exchange, where he was briefed by officials from the City Hall of Kuala Lumpur, she added.

The Tun Razak Exchange is the centrepiece of Malaysia's plan to develop Kuala Lumpur into an international financial centre under its Economic Transformation Programme.

Mr Lee and his wife also visited the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, and took in the city's skyline from the 86th-floor observation deck, where they were briefed by Madam Hashimah Hashim, executive director of KLCC Projects.

The retreat continues today, when the two delegations will meet to review bilateral ties and are expected to discuss ways to improve cooperation across a wide range of areas.

That includes further developments for the planned high- speed rail link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

chanckr@sph.com.sg

This article was published on April 7 in The Straits Times.

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