HE Scott Wightman,
British High Commissioner,
Singapore

23rd March 2017, Singapore

Dear Scott,

Like hundreds of millions around the world, we as the Oxbridge Alumni in Singapore stand shoulder to shoulder with the brave and resolute British people in condemning the horrid terrorist attack yesterday in the vicinity of Parliament in Westminster.

By their attack yesterday on London, capital of the United Kingdom but also one of the world’s truly international cities and home to hundreds of thousands of other nationalities, including many Singaporeans, these cowards have shown their depravity, making us all as global citizens even more determined to stand shoulder to shoulder to protect the global values shared by all of us and all major religions, of love to our fellow man, respect for diversity, tolerance and the desire collectively to live in peace and harmony.

Please accept our support and solidarity at this time, and our condolences for those innocently killed or injured in the attack.

Yours, Paul

Dato Paul Supramaniam
President, Oxford and Cambridge Society of Singapore

–

Dear Paul,

Many thanks to you and to the Oxbridge Alumni for your message of support and solidarity. At this time our thoughts are with those directly affected and their families and friends.

Despite our geographical distance, the UK and Singapore always feel close, with so many deep personal ties, and our connections through education, including alumni societies, are incredibly strong. This is a reminder to all of us to stay united against the threat of terrorism, which seeks to destroy the basic freedoms enjoyed by all people, regardless of nationality or background.

As Prime Minister Theresa May said yesterday the location of the attack was no accident. “The terrorists chose to strike at the heart of our capital city, where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech. These streets of Westminster – home to the world’s oldest Parliament – are ingrained with a spirit of freedom that echoes in some of the furthest corners of the globe. And the values our Parliament represents – democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law – command the admiration and respect of free people everywhere.

That is why it is a target for those who reject those values…any attempt to defeat those values through violence and terror is doomed to failure.

Tomorrow morning, Parliament will meet as normal. We will come together as normal.

And Londoners – and others from around the world who have come here to visit this great City – will get up and go about their day as normal.

They will board their trains, they will leave their hotels, they will walk these streets, they will live their lives.

And we will all move forward together. Never giving in to terror. And never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart.

All the very best, Scott