Paying the price of closing S'pore's gates

Note:
- the method of using an interesting anecdote (in the form of a quotation) to open with a BANG!, but keep the BANG short in your writing.....use it to lead logically to your topic or thesis/stand, which is what the writer is doing here....

-another instance of how the writer makes a connection to Singapore based on what happened in another country

-restructuring and raising productivity via technology to mitigate the manpower shortage due to immigration curbs

-anti-immigration sentiments (esp online) and the political implications

-pros of curbing immigration
=ease pressure on country's resources
=protect natural envnmt (this is a relatively new argument that surfaced recently, courtesy of Switzerland....search and see an earlier post in this blog from end last year)
=protect jobs for locals
=protect local culture
=existing infrastructure cannot keep pace

-cons of curbing immigration
=disastrous for economy (lack of manpower)
=quality of life affected (e.g. service becomes slow due to insufficient waiters)
=we need immigrants to mitigate and compensate for the low birth rates and rising greying population

Qns:
1. How far is it important for people to be aware of current events in countries other than their own?(Cam. 2014)
2. To what extent does the immigration of people have a positive effect? (Cam. 2008)