Singapore campaign on good English targets Little India

A Singapore government campaign encouraging people to speak grammatically correct English is now targetting a Tamil-majority ethnic area in this city-state.

The Speak Good English Movement (SGEM) Thursday distributed 10,000 mugs in the Little India locality here.

The mugs, with 10 different designs and carrying tips and reminders on the importance of good English, were distributed among restaurants, coffee shops and other food and beverage outlets in the area, the Straits Times reported.

The campaign is targetted at the thousands of people who visit the area daily and, this year, it is especially targetting young adults aged between 20-29 years.

"If you come here during lunch or dinner time, you will see that there are a lot of working people, and they are from all races," Jennifer Yin, director of the SGEM secretariat, was quoted as saying.

Started in 2000, the SGEM is managed by a steering committee comprising key academics and professionals in Singapore along with the secretariat.