President Tharman meets overseas Singaporeans on first day of state visit to Brunei

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam at a reception for overseas Singaporeans in Brunei on Jan 24. - LIANHE ZAOBAO

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: It took Balakrishnan Chandramohan about an hour to drive 90km to an evening reception, but the Brunei-based Singaporean was eager to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

The technical manager and trainer for an oil and gas inspection company, who has been working in Brunei for almost 10 years, said he has followed Tharman’s political career from the time he was finance minister.