Francis Khoo passes away

[scroobal]

This is classic trait of this govt - misleading people, confusing the locals etc.

Dr Ang was arrested and detained and released a week late because they missed her husband. She is not wanted, not on any warrant of arrest nor is she banished. She has never claimed or suggested that she could not return.

It's a different story with her husband Francis who is wanted and certainly will be arrested and detained. This is despite Dominic Puthcheary being chief protagonist and the source of this witch hunt who is now classified clean and his banishment order rescinded. And to put salt to wound has a son who is a PAP MP.

The Government has made it clear that there is no barrier to Dr Ang Swee Chai returning to Singapore.The widow of lawyer Francis Khoo placed an obituary in The Straits Times on Friday in which she wrote of her hope of taking her husband's ashes back to Singapore.Mr Khoo fled Singapore in 1977 to avoid being questioned by the Internal Security Department. He died of a suspected heart attack last Sunday, leaving behind his wife who had joined him in London in 1977. He was 62.Responding to queries from The Sunday Times, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said 'there is no barrier to her return'.http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_738573.html

 

[mojito]

Brother brocoli, Your whole post - full of gusto and fire.You do feel for this place that you are born in (assuming lah)So, after your own kind of kpkb, release liao ok?How different are you from those you or we despise?In short, so after sounding so passionate & full of conviction, what next, what are you gonna do about things you feel for?Nothing provocative hor, your prose caught my eye and I was wondering logically for you, what next?

Bro elephanto, this may be a sad reflection of sinkies today. Expect people to think for them, do things for them, sacrifice for them. Then they shake leg and eye power.

'scue me brocoli, people do this for you, free some more! Never owe you a living. Never want to be hero. Don't expect people like him to go squat 20 years for ingrates who never knew what he did for them.

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear Scroo

What happened ? No one would deny that they were left leaning individuals with a passion for left of centre causes. Their careers after they left Singapore were very well indicative of that. But how different were they as left leaning individuals from the seventies and the same left leaning individuals who might have supported actively communism in the sixties but now claim that they were in fact left leaning..

Locke

This is classic trait of this govt - misleading people, confusing the locals etc.

Dr Ang was arrested and detained and released a week late because they missed her husband. She is not wanted, not on any warrant of arrest nor is she banished. She has never claimed or suggested that she could not return.

It's a different story with her husband Francis who is wanted and certainly will be arrested and detained. This is despite Dominic Puthcheary being chief protagonist and the source of this witch hunt who is now classified clean and his banishment order rescinded. And to put salt to wound has a son who is a PAP MP.

 

[scroobal]

Not this Group. Cultural Medallion Winner Kuo Pao Kun And his wife ballerina Goh Lay Kuan who were detained the year before were both active members of CPM units. They were using the same brush to paint people who were left leaning and independent in thought as though they were communists

Dear Scroo What happened ? No one would deny that they were left leaning individuals with a passion for left of centre causes. Their careers after they left Singapore were very well indicative of that. But how different were they as left leaning individuals from the seventies and the same left leaning individuals who might have supported actively communism in the sixties but now claim that they were in fact left leaning..Locke

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear Scroo

And Kuo Pao Kun got rehabilitated and Dr Ang and Francis did not ? I really wonder ? Was it a political act to destroy potential political opponents ?


Locke

Not this Group. Cultural Medallion Winner Kuo Pao Kun And his wife ballerina Goh Lay Kuan who were detained the year before were both active members of CPM units. They were using the same brush to paint people who were left leaning and independent in thought as though they were communists

 

[brocoli]

Brother brocoli, Your whole post - full of gusto and fire.You do feel for this place that you are born in (assuming lah)So, after your own kind of kpkb, release liao ok?How different are you from those you or we despise?In short, so after sounding so passionate & full of conviction, what next, what are you gonna do about things you feel for?Nothing provocative hor, your prose caught my eye and I was wondering logically for you, what next?

if there is anything worth learning from hitler other than vegetarianism and loving animals, its s legality, after the Beer Hall Putsch, he become the most law abiding citizens in the Weimar Republic.....

all these bleeding liberals and closet communists talk bout the rule of laws and yet they enagae in conspiracy against the govt rather than going through the parliament.... they talk about democracy yet dun dare to contest elections...farking cowards....

.... they flout the laws when it suit them... even if the law is unjust, one should still respect it... rather than do all this 见不得光 偷鸡摸狗 business.... if you are not guilty why run ??

all this talk about how great so and so is just wan to make me puke.... if they are so great why dun they come back and serve??? did lky run when umno wan to throw him in prison? did devan nair run away from Bangsar when Singapore separate?? did chee and unker yap fled and go into exile when they were going to be throw into jail?? i am just a kid, so i dunno much history but this much i know

what has francis khoo did for sinkies??? no offence to a dead man, but to us gen y / gen z and majority of sinkies, he is just a fugitive on the run .....

chen show mao risk a billion$ career to come back to serve.,... that is a great man.... still unemployed though....but a great man none the least...

logically for me, i should compromise my hardcore free markets belief and volunteer to help the party with the hare brain socialist policies.... since they are the only 1 who can bring down the giant squid.....through the legal parliament route...... however i dun think they will take in some1 with a checkered past......since i heard already they reject the mad raving SPP lunatic alex tan... cause of his mad rants and DB record

Bro elephanto, this may be a sad reflection of sinkies today. Expect people to think for them, do things for them, sacrifice for them. Then they shake leg and eye power.

'scue me brocoli, people do this for you, free some more! Never owe you a living. Never want to be hero. Don't expect people like him to go squat 20 years for ingrates who never knew what he did for them.

i dunno what he did other than be fugitive, cause i am just a kid.... why cant he be a Chiam See Tong and fight in elections.... why be engage in conspiracies??

i see he done a lot of for palestinians and British charity,,,,but I failed to see what he has done for sinkies.....

why help rioting factory workers and a student leader.... dun they know that this will scare off foreign investors??? then who will create jobs for sinkies??? huh

no job all the more better for the communist revolutions..... most of these exile also know the mistake of their youth.... Central Planning never works... most of these leftist become bery sucessful business man.....

dun do anything that is bad for business.....

 

[Thick Face Black Heart]

Scroobal,

I would just say that their talent and commitment to beliefs very different from the accepted "normal " in Singapore of their era is sadly missed. In their deeds after they left Singapore, their commitment and the sacrifice of their lives to causes dear to the left shows what an impact they would have had if they had stayed in Singapore and be allowed the opportunity to set an example and yes to take the edge of the worst of the PAP in that era.

Sadly enough many of those who were arrested for being to left in that era ultimately turned right and capitalist. :_)) In the world of we are the 99% , they will be remembered and celebrated.

Locke

Locke, you have the habit of skirting the issue in order to avoid the really sensitive areas that must be brought to full light.

We undercurrent in this touching eulogy is the great apparatus of government treachery and abuse of power, as well as the fact that these families of these people will never see justice. Lets not mince words as this is what it is.

It is not about a left leaning ideology or not being in Singapore. Its about banishment and oppression. It is also about some who remain quietly on the sidelines working on the causes they believe in (Dr Ang), and some who choose to abandon principles and ignore history (Janil).

 

[lockeliberal]

Dear Thick

I would like to add that who ratted on who should come to light when the National Archives are released after old man dies and also when the ISD files from that era. My own reading of books from that ERA (Non PAP source ) is that whilst individuals were abused a great many to were involved in some form of other with the communist and whom liberals are now claiming to be innocent which I cannot buy. Whilst the PAP was not a saint , neither were the communist and yes perhaps sadly many innocents like "Francis Khoo " were caught in the middle.


Locke

Locke, you have the habit of skirting the issue in order to avoid the really sensitive areas that must be brought to full light.

We undercurrent in this touching eulogy is the great apparatus of government treachery and abuse of power, as well as the fact that these families of these people will never see justice. Lets not mince words as this is what it is.

It is not about a left leaning ideology or not being in Singapore. Its about banishment and oppression. It is also about some who remain quietly on the sidelines working on the causes they believe in (Dr Ang), and some who choose to abandon principles and ignore history (Janil).

 

[brocoli]

Locke, you have the habit of skirting the issue in order to avoid the really sensitive areas that must be brought to full light.

We undercurrent in this touching eulogy is the great apparatus of government treachery and abuse of power, as well as the fact that these families of these people will never see justice. Lets not mince words as this is what it is.

It is not about a left leaning ideology or not being in Singapore. Its about banishment and oppression. It is also about some who remain quietly on the sidelines working on the causes they believe in (Dr Ang), and some who choose to abandon principles and ignore history (Janil).

were they banished???? last I check they ran away ..... i dunno what talent and commitment you are talking about ? they ran away ... they couldnt fixed ah gong...
the words "talent" and "commitment" should only be used on unker chiam... here was a man show fighting against 70 and 880 odd man in parliament....

even LCS recant, did he ?

 

[scroobal]

Dom Puthucheary matter took along while to settle. By then Francis's brother acquitted JBJ. Old man became paranoid. Brother was removed and the door on Francis was closed. Remember the access to Privy Council was removed forever. Very messy. Sad story.

Dear Scroo And Kuo Pao Kun got rehabilitated and Dr Ang and Francis did not ? I really wonder ? Was it a political act to destroy potential political opponents ?Locke

 

[neddy]

A TRIBUTE TO FRANCIS KHOO KAH SIANG
By Dr Ang Swee Chai
(Mrs Francis Khoo)
22 November 2011

Francis Khoo Kah Siang, 23 October 1947 to 20 November 2011

It must be so bizarre that the one person who loves you beyond words and whom you also love the most in this world goes on to make you a widow – and without polite notice!

So it is the case with my beloved. As I stepped off the plane, I received a text message sent a few hours ago that he “cannot come”. As I came into the house, I smelt delicious chicken macaroni soup freshly cooked in the kitchen. There was some left in a bowl which he must had eaten from to stem his hunger as the plane was delayed. But there was no answer to my call, except from our agitated cats. Yes, my beloved had died in the room upstairs.

Did he choose to die before I got to him to spare me the pain of resuscitating him? Was it Divine Mercy that he was taken home to God so painlessly, silently, and alone before medical science complicated his humanity? Was it to spare his wife anxious moments waiting at the hospital intensive care? Could I not just cradle him in my arms in these last precious moments on earth? Only at our re-union with our Maker and with each other can these questions be answered. For now, I am grateful to be able to look after him on this last lap of his earthly journey as he returns to the One who created him.

As news of his death broke out, thousands of emails, letters, text messages, phone calls, flowers poured from all parts of the world and all walks of life. From heads of states, diplomats, politicians, and friends employed and unemployed. I am not only overwhelmed by the volume but by the affection and admiration they held for him. Friends and family are flying in from all over the world. I have managed only to reply to just over a thousand messages over the last 48 hours. The rest might have to wait for their reply until the funeral is over.

So who was this Francis Khoo?

He was the fourth generation of an established Singapore Peranakan family. It is a close knit family. As a boy he sang in the Singing Khoos with his brothers Lawrence and Victor, and the family is devoutly Catholic. As he grew up he began to acquire a strong sense of justice – beyond merely legal. Of course he was a lawyer, but even in University as Vice President of the Students’ Law Society, he served a greater justice. He opposed the introduction of the Suitability Certificate, the abolition of the jury system, and later on the heavy bombing of Hanoi on Christmas day. His other interests include photography – he patented a pocket camera at the age of nineteen. He loved drawing, writing and ran the St Joseph Institution school paper and the university Undergrad.

Despite all the above “distractions”, he qualified and was called to the bar. Within months of arriving as a junior lawyer in his firm, he took on the legalities of forming a Citizens’ Co-op to save the Singapore Herald, the liberal English daily closed by the government.

In 1974, I met him at a Justice and Peace meeting. His deep commitment to social justice was to him a Christian obligation. The first commandment is to love God; the second is to love your neighbours as yourself. Two weeks later I read in the Straits Times that my new acquaintance was to defend a controversial trial in which factory workers and a student leader were charged with rioting. I called him to ask him to re-consider since he might invite personal repercussions. Being a “kiasu” (law-abiding timid ) Singaporean, I sensed that the government wanted the workers and the student leader imprisoned, and to defend them would be seen as being anti-government and the consequences would be dire!

He patiently explained that everyone is entitled to legal defence – and no one should be deemed guilty until proven beyond reasonable doubt. These workers were poor and established lawyers would not take their case on and someone just got to do it, in the interest of justice. If he had to pay the price of doing so, he would accept it!I am still not sure when my admiration for him turned to love. In 1976 when I sensed that he might be detained under the Internal Security Act I asked him to marry me, so that if he were to be arrested I can visit him in prison and at least be his link to the outside world. We married on 29 January, 1977.

The arrest came, and he managed to escape. I was detained shortly afterwards and questioned about him. Upon my release I joined him in exile in the United Kingdom.Francis started his live in exile as a cleaner in a Central London Hotel. He then went on to work as an administrator in a British Charity, Medical and Scientific Aid for Vietnam. Two years later he was journalist for an international third world magazine, South. From there he went on to direct War on Want, a prominent international NGO founded by the late British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. Apart from chairing numerous charities he was co-founder and Vice Chairman of the British Charity, Medical Aid for Palestinians from 1984 to 2007. He had to step down as new British Charity Commissioner Legislation advised against office bearers serving more than 9 years , He had served 23 years!

From War on Want he returned to legal practice in London until his failing health forced him to stop work. Despite this, his work for many charities continued.

He wrote many poems, songs and articles. He sang for many including the wives of the striking miners. One of his songs Father Christmas in the Slag Heap brought the whole of Hemsworth, a town faced with pit closure, to tears during their poverty stricken Christmas in 1984. He also sang at canteens catering meals for the aged. His songs and writings are available to the Singapore public for those who are interested.

He suffered renal failure from 1998, went on dialysis, but had a successful renal transplant on the NHS in July 2011 – the generous gift of an anonymous British woman donor. The day before his death he was at the Annual General Meeting of Living Stones, a charity to which he was trustee. His diary is full of future engagements including the Haldane Law Society, charities for the homeless, Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Scottish Parliament, and the House of Commons - plus supporting me in dozens of public lectures and talks. It is full of engagements until end of September 2012.

His untimely death left a huge void in all our lives. We are all in a state of shock. But by God’s grace, time will make it possible for his memory to overwhelm the pain of our loss. My tribute to him will be to continue to serve the cause of peace and justice. I also hope to be the widow who will take his ashes back to his beloved Singapore after his 34 years of exile.

 

[neddy]

if there is anything worth learning from hitler other than vegetarianism and loving animals, its s legality, after the Beer Hall Putsch, he become the most law abiding citizens in the Weimar Republic.....

all these bleeding liberals and closet communists talk bout the rule of laws and yet they enagae in conspiracy against the govt rather than going through the parliament.... they talk about democracy yet dun dare to contest elections...farking cowards....

.... they flout the laws when it suit them... even if the law is unjust, one should still respect it... rather than do all this 见不得光 偷鸡摸狗 business.... if you are not guilty why run ??

chen show mao risk a billion$ career to come back to serve.,... that is a great man.... still unemployed though....but a great man none the least...

logically for me, i should compromise my hardcore free markets belief and volunteer to help the party with the hare brain socialist policies.... since they are the only 1 who can bring down the giant squid.....through the legal parliament route...... however i dun think they will take in some1 with a checkered past......since i heard already they reject the mad raving SPP lunatic alex tan... cause of his mad rants and DB record

why help rioting factory workers and a student leader.... dun they know that this will scare off foreign investors??? then who will create jobs for sinkies??? huh

no job all the more better for the communist revolutions..... most of these exile also know the mistake of their youth.... Central Planning never works... most of these leftist become bery sucessful business man.....

dun do anything that is bad for business.....

Strange logic. But I like the part about business
Where business is concerned, no need for rules - so we do not need to break any. Everyone become stayers.
Central planning do not work, so just be hero and keep putting your money in CPF ....
Need for cheap FTs for Singapore, the locals are becoming too expensive and socialists
I gun for 100% profit and peanuts for you. :*:
Hope you like it. No TAX! too. Bad for Business. You die your business. Right? Just like in the western cowboy movies

 

[mojito]

The New Left will propose as a start minimal regulation of industries, expand the privileges of citizenship, and promote competition among businesses! (and maybe labour too)

Regulation and facilitation of industry are both roles the government should play in order to promote a progressive and prosperous society.

If only I could get round to penning it down though... Weather so hot.. Feel lazy leh. Can someone else do it? zzzz

 

[brocoli]

Strange logic. But I like the part about business
Where business is concerned, no need for rules - so we do not need to break any. Everyone become stayers.
Central planning do not work, so just be hero and keep putting your money in CPF ....
Need for cheap FTs for Singapore, the locals are becoming too expensive and socialists
I gun for 100% profit and peanuts for you. :*:
Hope you like it. No TAX! too. Bad for Business. You die your business. Right? Just like in the western cowboy movies

where business is concerned, rules is of paramount importance... commence 1st florish in ENgland and Netherlands because they were the 1st govt without absolute monarchy....

economic freedom and political freedom goes hand in hand, that is milton friedman for you,,,,

CPF is central planning wheras but a socialist govt can enforce forced saving and artfifcally distort investment and compsumption ???

cheap FTs do not hold under comparative advantage principles but lead to Global labor arbitrage.... cheap FTs is not good for the economy...

prease go read econ 101 with those hare brain soicalist before you rebut me

 

[mojito]

where business is concerned, rules is of paramount importance... commence 1st florish in ENgland and Netherlands because they were the 1st govt without absolute monarchy....

economic freedom and political freedom goes hand in hand, that is milton friedman for you,,,,

CPF is central planning wheras but a socialist govt can enforce forced saving and artfifcally distort investment and compsumption ???

cheap FTs do not hold under comparative advantage principles but lead to Global labor arbitrage.... cheap FTs is not good for the economy...

prease go read econ 101 with those hare brain soicalist before you rebut me

Did you econs tutor teach you to write like this? Hope you survive the A Levels!