A READER wrote in to say that the Quran has a phrase, li ta'arafu, to express the idea that nations should know one another.

Non-Muslim Singaporeans might be more familiar with the Malay phrase kawan kawan - to be friends with one another.

The two phrases sum up why Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew visited Malaysia recently. He spent eight days in Kuala Lumpur and in four state capitals.

Read the full report in Saturday's The Straits Times.