Ang swee chai biography sample
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Muslim Professionals Forum Berhad
presents
Dr. Ang Swee Chai
Dr. Ang Swee Chai was shocked when she heard the following;
“To make an omelette, one first has to crack eggs.”
Spoken by an Israeli leader, when asked by the press to comment on civilian casualties during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982, these very words propelled Dr. Ang to volunteer her orthopaedic services to treat war victims in Beirut, a decision that would prove to be of enormous impact in her life.
Dr. Ang Swee Chai was born in Penang, grew up and studied in Singapore, and since 1977, has been residing in Britain. It was in 1982, enroute to Beirut, that she met her fist Palestinian, and her immediate reaction was one of fear, for as a Christian fundamentalist, she had been a supporter of Israel and thought all Palestinians to be terrorists. In fact she didn’t even know Palestinian refugees existed. And yet, two years later, together with her husband and friends, she formed Medical Aid for Palesti
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Dear reader,
I’m Faris Joraimi, Jom’s history editor. Just for this week, I’m bringing you this newsletter on top of my regular column, “History Weekly”. It may seem strange dedicating a section to the past in a genre devoted to present-day happenings. But the daily news we hear has everything to do with history. So-called “newsmakers” are always interpreting history in their speeches and to justify policies, often taking advantage of how “news” has little space for in-depth historical context to keep them in check.
To be fair, as one American historian put it, “We don’t expect journalists to take deep dives in the archives when their editor is screaming for copy.” Our mainstream outlets also do occasionally get historically-inclined civil servants or “experts” to write longer explanation pieces. But history is not a main item on the perpetually crowded media agenda: convenient, if you want to keep the public forgetful. An resultat landscape that disrupts dominant thoug
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Dr. Ang Swee Chai, now 61, was born in Penang, Malaysia, grew up and studied in Singapore, and has since 1977, joined her husband to live in exile in Britain. She has a Masters degree in Occupational Medicine, is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and is now working in Britain at the St. Bartholomew’s and the Royal London hospitals – the first woman to be appointed orthopaedic consultant since the hospitals were founded several centuries ago. With her husband, Francis Khoo and some friends, Dr. Ang helped to form the British charity, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) following the 1982 SabraShatilla massacres. In 1987, PLO chairman, Yasser Arafat awarded Dr Ang the Star of Palestine, the highest award for service to the Palestinian people. She has co-authored Field Manual in War Surgery, a hand book based on experiences in the war front. Dr Ang Swee grew up supporting Israel. She was told that Arabs were terrorists. But in 1982, the British media broadcasted the