Ang Swee Chai
Ang Swee Chai | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1948 (age 75–76)[1] |
| Citizenship | British, Singaporean[2] |
Ang Swee Chai (Chinese: 洪瑞钗) is an orthopedic surgeon, author and co-founder of the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Life
Ang was born in Penang, Malaysia but raised in Singapore. She attended Kwong Avenue Primary School, Raffles Girls' School, and the National University of Singapore where she studied medicine. She then received a Masters degree in Occupational Medicine in 1976.[1] In 1977, she married Singapore's human rights lawyer Francis Khoo. Two weeks after the marriage, she was briefly detained during a government crackdown on dissidents as the authority attempted to arrest her husband. She fled to London to be with her husband and they were granted asylum there.[3] She trained to be a surgeon in Britain, and later became the first female consultant orthopaedic surgeon at St Bartholomew's Hospital.[1]
In August 1982, Ang responded to an appeal for medical personnel from Christian Aid to treat war casualties in Lebanon and went to work at the Gaza Hospital near the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp in Beirut.[4][5] The following month, she became witness to the Sabra-Shatila during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.[6] She and two other hospital staff testified to Israeli Kahan Commission on the Sabra and Shatila massacre on September 1982.[7]
With her husband, Francis Khoo, and some friends, Ang helped to form the British charity, Medical Aid for Palestinians, following the 1982 massacres.[5]
Awards and honours
In 1987, President Yasser Arafat awarded Ang the Star of Palestine, the highest award for service to the Palestinian people.[8] She was inducted into Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2016.[9]
Publications
Ang Swee Chai wrote a book on her experience, From Beirut to Jerusalem: A Woman Surgeon with the Palestinians.[10] The book has been translated into Chinese.[4] She also co-authored War Surgery: Field Manual with Hans Husum and Erik Fosse.[11]
References
- ^ a b c "Ang Swee Chai /Singapore Women's Hall of Fame". Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- ^ "Re-entry issue for Singaporean with UK passport". The Straits Times. Singapore. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- ^ "38妇女节：舍身为教育、生命付出的奇女子！". JadeMag. 8 March 2019.
- ^ a b 苏颖欣 (14 December 2016). "流亡40年的新加坡人——访战地医生洪瑞钗". Malaysia Kini.
- ^ a b Dr Toh Han Chong, Editor and A/Prof Paul Ananth Tambyah (10 October 2006). "Dr Ang Swee Chai - Surgeon With A Mission" (PDF). SMA News. 38 (10). Singapore: Singapore Medical Association.
{{cite journal}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Syed Mohd Khair, Syed Ahmad Fathi (21 June 2019). "Ang Swee Chai – From Christian Zionist to Palestinian Activist – Book Review". theindependentinsight.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ Farrell, William E.; Times, Special to The New York (2 November 1982). "Doctors Testify About Massacre". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ Bedi, Rashvinjeet S. "Palestinian plight not a religious issue but a humanitarian one, says social activist". The Star Online. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ Terry Xu (16 March 2016). "Dr Ang Swee Chai, a self-imposed exile, faces issue with ICA over dual citizenship". The Online Citizen.
- ^ Murray, Nancy (1 January 1990). "Book reviews : From Beirut to Jerusalem By SWEE CHAI ANG (London, Grafton Books, 1989)". Race & Class. doi:10.1177/030639689003100307.
- ^ "War surgery: Field manual. H. Husum, Swee Chai Ang & E. Fosse. Penang: Third World Network, 1995. 764 pp. Price US$100 (softcover), US$ 140 (hardcover) plus postage. Available to 'Third World' countries at US$ 25 (softcover), US$ 35 (hardcover) plus postage. ISBN 983-9747-14-2". Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 91 (3): 368. May–June 1997. doi:10.1016/S0035-9203(97)90116-4.