Top military award for Malaysia's defence chief

MALAYSIA'S Chief of Defence Force was conferred Singapore's highest military award, the Distinguished Service Order (Military), by President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the Istana yesterday afternoon.

General Zulkifeli Mohd Zin received the award, also referred to as the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera), for improving relations between Malaysia's and Singapore's armed forces, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

"Under (Gen Zulkifeli's) leadership, interactions between both armed forces have expanded in scope and depth," said Mindef.

The two armed forces work together on a bilateral level, in activities such as the Semangat Bersatu land exercise, as well as at a multilateral level.

Previous award recipients include former Australian defence chief David Hurley and the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Martin Dempsey.

Gen Zulkifeli called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Chief of Defence Force Ng Chee Meng during his two-day visit here.

Dr Ng wrote on Facebook: "I shared with (Gen Zulkifeli) that as immediate neighbours, the well-being of Singaporeans and Malaysians are intertwined. We have forged strong people-to-people ties. We must work closely together for mutual benefits on all fronts."

This article was first published on August 14, 2014.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.