SINGAPORE, Aug 23 — Originally scheduled to take place this Thursday, the annual meeting between Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo has been postponed because Lee is on medical leave for a week.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday that "officials on both sides are working to find new dates for the retreat”, which was supposed to take place in Semarang, Central Java.

Lee became unwell while delivering his National Day Rally speech at the Institute of Technical Education College Central campus on Sunday, startling audiences in the hall and those watching the event live on television.

After speaking in Malay and Mandarin earlier in the evening, Lee was about two-thirds into his English speech, which began at 8pm, when he wavered on his feet, stopped speaking, and appeared to stumble. 

Lee was helped off-stage for a check-up, but he returned to complete his speech some 80 minutes later after a rest.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday said he experienced a temporary drop in blood pressure from the prolonged standing, exhaustion and dehydration. 

Doctors have also confirmed that there were no cardiac abnormalities and he did not suffer a stroke. However, on the doctors’ advice, Lee will be on medical leave for a week and will resume his work duties next Monday.

The Indonesia-Singapore leaders’ retreat was to discuss economic collaborations between the two nations, and the two men were due to sign a new pact to promote tourism.

Both leaders were also scheduled to jointly open the new Kendal Industrial Park, a joint venture between Singapore’s Sembcorp and Indonesia’s Jababeka.

In Lee’s rally speech on Sunday, there was a brief mention of this retreat, where he revealed that the Kendal Industrial Park is the first major industrial investment by a Singapore company outside Batam, Indonesia, and he hoped that it would encourage more Singaporeans to find more opportunities there. — TODAY