Let us welcome Dr Ang Swee Chai with open arms by Teo Soh Lung “As doctors, we are privileged in so many ways. Not only can we talk about giving, we also have plenty to give.” This was what Dr Ang Swee Chai told the medical fraternity at the National University Health System Auditorium in February 2011. She had returned to Singapore to bury the ashes of her late husband, Francis Khoo Kah Siang. It was the first time she stepped on Singapore soil after more than 35 years of exile. Francis who longed to return throughout his 35 years of exile, died in exile in London, a life wish unfulfilled. The unforgiving stand of the Singapore government towards exiles is forever remembered with Francis’ passing. Francis was a human rights lawyer. He was one of five persons who attempted to save the Singapore Herald, a liberal newspaper. Together with G Raman, Francis also defended two marine workers who were charged with Tan Wah Piow for rioting in the early 1970s. He fled to England when his friends, including G Raman were arrested and imprisoned without trial under the Internal Security Act in February 1977. Unable to track Francis, the secret police arrested his wife, Dr Ang Swee Chai at the Singapore General Hospital. Dr Ang recalled that she was in the operating theatre when one of her colleagues informed her that the plain clothes men wanted to see her. That was how our secret police operate. They never think of the interest of the patient or the doctor. What if the shocking news upset Dr Ang and the operation had botched? Luckily, Dr Ang was sufficiently calm to relay the message that they had to wait till the completion of the operation. The secret police wanted to handcuff her outside the operating theatre. Fortunately, common sense prevailed when Dr Ang told them that she was not going to run away and that it would not be good for her to walk through the crowded corridor of patients. From the hospital, Dr Ang was led to the flat which Francis and she had just moved in. They were married just two weeks before. Books, documents and even wedding photos were seized and were never returned to the owners. Francis complained to me before he died that the ISD kept his collection of photographs. He never asked for its return because he thought it was futile. Maybe the ISD should look into its archive today and return all the photos to Dr Ang. More searches were carried out at the homes of their parents. Satisfied that they had everything, Dr Ang was then escorted by about ten officers and driven to Whitley Road Centre. As prisoner #116, she was subjected to continuous cold room interrogation about the whereabouts of Francis. She was eventually released on the promise that she would help to persuade her husband to return to Singapore. Dr Ang left for England to be with her husband and never set foot on Singapore again until 2011. Her two earlier attempts to return to visit her ailing parents failed. The government refused to grant her the necessary permission. They died without meeting her. And so for 35 years, until the death of Francis, she did not set foot on Singapore. This is the tragic story of two young people who could have made enormous contributions to Singapore. In the end, it was Singapore’s loss when Dr Ang and Francis made their contributions to the world. In the early days of their exile, they campaigned for the release of their friends who were arrested in 1977 under the ISA. Francis appeared on BBC television to tell their plight. When they were all released, they gave their energy to the world. They helped the coal miners who lost their jobs in UK. They campaigned for the release of political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela. In 1982, Dr Ang answered the Christian call to give medical aid to Palestinians. She resigned from St Thomas Hospital and left for Beirut. There she rendered medical aid to injured Palestinians and witnessed the massacres at the nearby refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila. She testified at the Israeli inquiry into the massacres in Jerusalem. She spoke up for the Palestinians as soon as she returned to London. And she has continued speak up for the Palestinians and to render medical aid to the them since that time. She set up Medical Aid for Palestinians and ran the charity until recently. She is now its patron. In 1989, she published “From Beirut to Jerusalem,” her eyewitness account of the massacres in Sabra and Shatila. It is sad that the Singapore government has till today refused to welcome Dr Ang Swee Chai home. Thirty-seven years of exile is a very long time. Dr Ang has not committed any crime or acted against the security interest of Singapore. She has made enormous contributions to the world and achieved many things to make Singapore proud. newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19821125-1.2.147.1.aspx. Her return to Singapore would greatly benefit Singaporeans, especially young Singaporeans. She is a totally selfless person with the singular desire of making the world a better place. I believe Singaporeans will welcome her home with open arms. Can we hope that our government will share our view and send Dr Ang Swee Chai a passport without her asking? It will be good for the Singapore government to right the wrong that it has done to one of its most generous and gracious citizens. It can be done because the present leaders have nothing to do with those who compelled Dr Ang and her late husband to leave Singapore. Let us hope that compassion and magnanimity prevail soon.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 05:23:26 +0000
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