President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was in Temburong, Brunei this afternoon to visit officer cadets from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) undergoing training. He was accompanied by Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Second Minister for Education Dr Maliki Osman, Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang, Members of Parliament Mariam Jaafar and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, Chief of Army Major-General (MG) David Neo and other senior SAF officers.

During his interaction with the troops, President Tharman commended the officer cadets for the professionalism and toughness they displayed in the demanding jungle environment.

Speaking to the cadets, President Tharman said that training in a terrain different from Singapore's is invaluable for the officer cadets as it helps them grow into capable and resilient leaders, and this is only made possible by the strong bilateral relationship between Singapore and Brunei.

Singapore and Brunei share a close and long-standing defence relationship. In addition to SAF troops training in Brunei, the SAF and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces also interact through frequent bilateral exercises, professional exchanges, visits and cross-attendance of courses. These exchanges have enhanced the professionalism and strengthened the ties between the two armed forces.