Family Members, Relatives and Friends of the victims of SilkAir Flight MI 185..

Ladies and Gentlemen..

We would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone here today. We are here with the sole purpose of remembering all the passengers and crew of SilkAir Flight MI 185, who so tragically left us on Friday 19^th December, 1997.

We would also like to extend our heartfelt and most sincere wishes to those Families, Relatives and Friends of the passengers and crew who are not able to be here today. We refer particularly to those families who are not resident in Singapore. We will of course be welcoming them back to Singapore on or around the 19^th December when we will travel together to Palembang to remember our loved ones again at the memorial site which has been built in the memory of those sadly departed.

An explanation as to why we have built a memorial in Singapore...

As you know, the site of the crash is in a remote and difficult to access location. Accordingly, we felt it necessary to erect a small but poignant memorial here in Singapore, thereby enabling relatives and friends of those who perished to have easier access to a site where all the passengers and crew of MI 185 are remembered..

In addition, whilst the financial and logistical support of SilkAir is very much appreciated with regards the memorial that has been constructed at the mass burial site in Palembang, it will be very difficult in the future to visit the Palembang site. It is also understood that Silk Air will not continue to arrange transportation to the Palembang location every year. Indeed, it is understood that after the 1^st Anniversary this coming December 19^th 1998, no further trips are planned by SilkAir on future Anniversaries.

The memorial plaque you see here today is the result of many months of effort by several family members with the support of SilkAir. It will in future serve as a form of remembrance of our loved ones and provide us with a place to feel closer to the ones we have lost.

Today....we dedicate this memorial to all the passengers and crew of SilkAir MI 185.

Ladies and gentlemen, this memorial should not be regarded as a religious monument or burial site and further, out of respect for the many religions and cultures amongst us all, we would sincerely appreciate if all of us can avoid conducting religious ceremonies or activities at the site. Please treat this memorial as a place where you can come and be closer to your loved ones and perhaps feel more at ease with the difficult path that lies ahead for all of us with the absence of our loved ones who so tragically were taken away from us so suddenly and unexpectantly..

We would like to offer our thanks to SilkAir for the support given to ensure that this memorial was possible. In addition, whilst perhaps a little belatedly, we extend our heartfelt thanks to the "buddies" of Singapore, all of whom were volunteers, who offered their time, support and friendship this time last year. Your acts of kindness were sincerely appreciated..

In our gathering today to remember the passengers and crew of MI 185, we also wish to express our feelings with regards to the status of the ongoing crash investigation and the many other issues that we are all currently experiencing as a result of this disaster.

I believe I speak for all of us when I say...

We seek the truth. We have lost our loved ones and we have every right to know the causes leading to the crash. Whilst this will not bring our loved ones back, it will certainly help the relevant authorities concerned to prevent similar incidents in the future.

We would also urge that those involved in the crash investigation become more transparent and furnish us with more information where possible. To say the least,....... we are weary with all the speculation and rumours that has appeared in the world media to date.

The absolute quietness and inadequate transparency to the investigation as we have at present, does not seem to help anybody,...be it..the families, the airline or the aircraft manufacturer.. but I can assure you, it certainly continues to hurt the feelings of the bereaved families even though a year has gone by since the accident.

We would urge all relevant parties and in particular the Indonesian authorities to release more accurate information on an ongoing basis.. We understand that for whatever reasons, some preliminary findings cannot be disclosed at this point but certainly, some genuine facts can be released to avoid the speculative journalism that we have seen to date in the worlds media.

In short, please help us towards some type of " closure ".... Knowing the cause of the accident, or at least having more accurate and frequent information from reliable sources will help us to put our minds at rest that little bit more..

We would also like to mention that every family involved rightfully deserve fair and just treatment. Every life is precious, no matter whether dead, old or young, rich or poor... Insurance companies may feel they are able to put a price tag on a single individual life but they are sorely wrong, at least not for those who have a kind heart and conscience. We urge those relevant parties and organizations not to exercise discrimination against the weak and the helpless. We also feel that parties involved with the crash and its aftermath, could have made the recovery process that little bit easier, if sufficient effort had been made to resolve the issue of compensation in a more sensitive and compassionate manner.

In closing... as we approach the 1^st Anniversary of the crash of SilkAir MI 185, again I believe I speak for all of us when I say, despite a year passing, the pain is still there every single day, there is not one day that our loved ones are not thought about and remembered and missed by all of us. Life without them is very, very difficult...

We trust that in some way, the passengers and crew of MI 185 did not die in vain.. At the very least, we hope that this memorial will help us the Families, Relatives and Friends to remember our loved ones and ensure their memories live on for ever..

Ladies and Gentlemen.. Thank you very much...