SINGAPORE MALAY GAY MARRIED

Sad but true....Moga Allah lindungi dan hindarkan ahli keluarga dan
keturunan kita dari maksiat besar ini, Amin.


6 December 2005
The Daily Telegraph (UK)

Births, deaths and the first civil partnership
By Jonathan Petre

John Walker and Ghani Jantan are making history in more days than one. Not only are they part of the first wave to take advantage of the new civil partnership law, but they were the first couple to record the fact in the print version of this newspaper.

The Daily Telegraph has been carrying notices of births, deaths, and marriages on its pages for more than a century.

Ghani Jantan and John Walker

But yesterday a new entry - no doubt the first of many - appeared at the top of the Social page, announcing the intention of Mr J P D Walker and Mr A G B Jantan to register as civil partners.

"I was very proud that we were the only names in your newspaper," said Mr Walker. "Lots of people have rung us up since, many of them to say just that."

Mr Walker, 54, said that he and Mr Jantan, 41, "completely disagreed with all this pink, gay stuff", and were planning a discreet ceremony on Dec 22 near their Kensington home.

Mr Walker, an Old Harrovian and former Cavalry officer who has retired from the oil industry, met Mr Jantan, a computer executive, when he was working in Singapore 12 years ago. The couple have lived in London for the last two years.

Mr Walker said that he felt the civil partnership ceremony would "cement and complete" their relationship, and that he was fully supported by his family.

"I think it will be one of the greatest days of my life," he said.

His elder brother, a Church of England vicar, will be acting in a private capacity as one of the witnesses.

* * * * *


Foreword by Yawning Bread

When I saw a posting in SiGNeL (the Singapore gay news group) mentioning a story in the Daily Telegraph about a Singaporean registering in the UK under the new civil partnership law, I forwarded the Daily Telegraph story to the editors of 'Today', in the hope that they would run the story for their Singapore readership.

Fortunately, they found it interesting too, and followed up with their own, longer story. See below.


12 December 2005
'Today' newspaper

Singaporean man among first in gay union
By Tor Ching Li

One of the first British newspapers to cash in on the "pink wedding" rush -following last Monday's legalisation of gay ties in Britain - was not the "pretty-in-pink-paper" Financial Times, but The Times and The Daily Telegraph.

And one of the first to announce their gay union on the historic day itself was a 41-year-old Singaporean and his 54-year-old British partner.

Under the newly created heading of "Civil Partnerships" in The Times' 221-year-old Births, Marriage and Deaths columns were three notices for the unions of "Graham and Christopher, of Lyme Regis, Dorset", "Ms Jakki Turnbull and Dr Sheila van Dorst" and "Mr John Walker.of Stockbridge, Hampshire and Mr Ghani Jantan . of Pasir Panjang, Singapore".

The couple, who met in Singapore 12 years ago and have been living in London since 2003, were also the first couple to announce their registration for civil partnership in The Daily Telegraph's Social pages

Mr Walker told The Daily Telegraph that the civil partnership ceremony would "cement and complete" their relationship, which his family fully supports.

He added that he and Mr Jantan - a computer executive when he was working in Singapore - "completely disagreed with all this pink, gay stuff" and were planning a discreet ceremony on Dec 22 near their Kensington home.

Couples have to wait for three weeks following registration to sanction their partnership in ink at registry offices all over the country.

The first available date for a ceremony is Dec 21 in England and Wales - the date set to be earmarked by Elton John and his partner David Furnish - Dec 20 in Scotland and Dec 19 in Northern Ireland.

The legislation will give gay and lesbian couples equal status with married heterosexual couples on vital issues such as tenancy, property ownership, pensions and inheritance.

This could have implications for Singapore, said Mr Alex Au, an advocate for the still-unrecognised gay organisation People Like Us (PLU).

Said Mr Au: "With increased globalisation and mobility, Singapore cannot ignore the fact that many countries in Europe, the West and even South Africa are recognising gay unions.

"Singaporeans could move there to live or work, and similarly married gay couples may move here. It's best to deal with the issue by educating the public to be more open-minded."

The British government expects some 4,500 couples to be "partnered" in the first year of legalisation, and businesses have been fast to catch on to the pink dollar. According to British newspaper reports, leading supermarkets are offering "Mr and Mr" and "Mrs and Mrs" cards, while towels and soaps embroidered with the words "Darling, Dearest, Queerest" went on sale in a drug store chain.