SINGAPORE: For a US president engaged in a “war on terror”, the tightly controlled city-state of Singapore has been an unwavering ally, but one which activists say must take further steps towards democratic openness.

Singapore is an island republic of just 4.3 million people, but President George W. Bush made it his first stop on a week-long Asian trip that will also take him to Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation, and to Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted the visit is Bush's second in three years to Singapore, which has been a solid supporter of his campaign against international “terrorism”. “I think this is probably one of his ways of saying 'I appreciate it',” said Seah Chiang Nee, editor of the local political website littlespeck.com which contains political views that would not normally be aired in the pro-government Singapore media.

Seah said that in Southeast Asia, Singapore is “probably their strongest ally”. Bush is only the second serving president to visit Singapore. The first was his father George Bush, in 1992.“It's a demonstration of the president's commitment to strong relations with Singapore that he would make a second visit during his presidency,” said US National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe. “The United States and Singapore have never had better relations”.

In 2004 the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement took effect, becoming the first such agreement between the US and an Asian country. A year later, the two countries signed a Strategic Framework Agreement that updated an earlier pact under which US forces exercise with Singaporean forces, and US naval ships and aircraft regularly visit.

“The island republic is one of the United States' strongest supporters in Asia,” the US Chamber of Commerce said in a report released on Wednesday.

Singapore was the US's 16th-largest trading partner last year, the Chamber said.

A Singapore Air Force refuelling tanker is currently supporting US military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in 2001 and 2002 Singapore rounded up over 30 alleged Islamic extremists accused of planning attacks in the city-state, including against US military targets.

Singapore's leaders have urged the US to “stay the course” in Iraq.

In a letter to Bush, Singaporean pro-democracy advocate Chee Soon Juan urged him to impress upon Lee the need for more democracy in Singapore.

Chee, one of a rare few here who have spoken out publicly against the authorities, said a “democratic and free” Singapore would “contribute to a more stable and prosperous Asia, something which I am sure the United States values in its fight against terrorism and poverty”. Political stability has been the bedrock of the economic success of Singapore but Chee and other critics say this came at the price of restrictions on freedom of speech and political activity.

In brief comments after meeting with Bush, Lee said “terrorism was among the issues they discussed.—AFP

THE HAGUE: Mention immigrants or integration and Dutch student Stefan Boot rolls his eyes. “I am sick of hearing about it,” says the 24-year-old.

Judging by the political campaigns ahead of this month's general elections in the Netherlands, he is not alone.

Immigration, integration and the real nature of tolerance in this famously laid-back country had dominated political debate and sparked agonised soul-searching for the past four years.

Now, the issue appears to have left the political centre-stage -- pushed to the wings by a combination of voter fatigue, pragmatic political consensus and economic priorities. The shift does not mean the underlying questions have gone away or been resolved, many say.

In Transvaal, a depressed but orderly suburb of the Hague, mainly Muslim migrant communities are relieved they are not the target of the sort of hostile hustings speeches heard in 2003 and 2002 when anti-immigration rhetoric reached a high.

“By constantly emphasising the “them” and “us” debate you are constantly emphasising difference. There are other important issues,” said Umar Mirza, a 19-year-old student who runs a Web forum for Dutch Muslims entitled “We are staying here”.

Analysts say that after years of debate and a hardening of positions from left to right, there is little political capital to be gained from playing the tough-on-immigration card.

“As there has been a convergence of ideas, there is less of a threat of an outside party capturing the debate by arguing the general parties don't take the issue seriously,” said Paul Scheffer, a writer and professor of sociology at Amsterdam University.

Politicians might also fear losing immigrant votes in a country where 10 per cent of a population of 16 million are described as having non-Western roots. This includes one million Muslims, mainly from Morocco and Turkey, who are concentrated in cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Hague.

The two main parties, who have almost identical stances on integration, are running a close race -- Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's centre-right Christian Democrats had a slight lead over the Labour party this week.

Surveys show the Dutch are more worried about their wallets than the state of their multicultural social model.—Reuters