The audio recordings and transcripts of the interviews (subject to conditions stated by the interviewees) can be accessed through the NAS portal. Interviews marked with (*) were carried out by the NAS.
Judges
- ABDUL Rahim Jalil (listen)
Interviewed by Foo Kim Leng and Thian Yee Sze
Born on 9 April 1948, Abdul Rahim Jalil read law at the University of Singapore. He joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1971 and held various positions as State Counsel at the, Attorney-General Chambers and Magistrate, Coroner, District Judge and Deputy Registrar at the Subordinate Courts. He retired in 2010.
- CHOO Han Teck
Interviewed by Lim Jian Yi, Foo Kim Leng and Victoria Gomez
Born on 21 February 1954, Choo Han Teck is a judge of the Supreme Court. He read law at the University of Singapore and was called to the Bar in 1980. He entered private practice as a legal assistant in Murphy & Dunbar under the tutelage of Howard Cashin from 1980 – 1984. He then joined the National University of Singapore Law Faculty where he lectured for four years before returning to private practice in 1988. He was a partner at Allen & Gledhill from 1988 – 1992 before leaving to join a start-up - Helen Yeo & Partners, where he remained as a partner until he was appointed Judicial Commissioner in 1995. He was appointed Judge in January 2003. Choo was appointed President of the Military Court of Appeal of the Singapore Armed Forces on November 2004.
- Frederick Arthur CHUA* (listen)
Interviewed by Elisabeth Eber-Chan
Born in Singapore on 15 May 1913, Frederick Arthur Chua attended St Joseph’s Institution and Raffles Institution. He read law at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and graduated in 1936. He was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1937. Upon his return to Singapore, he joined the Straits Settlements Civil Service and was appointed, in 1938, Assistant Official Assignee and Assistant Public Trustee in Singapore. He was transferred to Penang in 1940, and held various positions in Penang and Malacca before returning to Singapore in 1953 as District Judge and Magistrate. In February 1957, he was elevated to Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court, and served on the High Court Bench until 1992. Chua passed away on 24 January 1994, aged 81. - LIEW Thiam Leng
Interviewed by Foo Kim Leng and Mabel Seah
Born on 2 September 1949, Liew Thiam Leng read law at the University of Singapore. He joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1975 where he held various positions as State Counsel and Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Attorney-General Chambers and as Magistrate, State Coroner, District Judge and Deputy Registrar and Referee, Small Claims Tribunals at the Subordinate Courts. He was also Director of the Primary Dispute Resolution Centre. Liew was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2000.
- Francis George REMEDIOS
Interviewed by Foo Kim Leng and Sellakumaran Sellamuthoo
Born on 19 August 1944. Francis Remedios read law at the University of Singapore. He joined the Singapore Legal Service in 1967 and held various positions as State Counsel and Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Attorney-General Chambers and as Magistrate, Registrar, District Judge and Coroner in the Subordinate Courts. Remedios also held appointments in the Requisition of Resources Compensation Board, Strata Titles Board, Income Tax Board of Review and Tribunal for Maintenance of Parents. He was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2000.
- Kasinather SAUNTHARARAJAH (K. S. Rajah) (listen)
Interviewed by Elisabeth Eber-Chan
Born in Penang on 3 March 1930, K S Rajah came to Singapore in 1950 and worked as a teacher studying law on a part-time basis at the University of Singapore. He graduated in 1963 and spent the next 22 years with the Singapore Legal Service heading the civil and criminal divisions of the Attorney-General Chambers. He also served as Director of the Singapore Legal Aid Bureau and head of the Official Assignee and Public Trustee’s Office. He retired from the Legal Service in 1985 and established the firm of B Rao & K S Rajah. In 1991, he was appointed a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore. He retired as a judge in 1995 and joined Harry Elias & Partners as a consultant. He was the first President of the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents in 1996. In 1997, he was among the first group of lawyers to be appointed Senior Counsel. He was conferred the Public Service Star 2002, and in 2008, he received the C C Tan Award, which recognises lawyers who display the highest ideals of the profession, from the Law Society of Singapore.
- Choor SINGH (listen)
Interviewed by Elisabeth Eber-Chan
Born in Korte, India, on 19th January 1911, Choor Singh completed his education, in 1929, at Raffles Institution. Thereafter, he worked as a solicitor’s clerk in Mallal & Namazie.
He was the founding member of the Singapore Khalsa Association, which was established in 1931. In 1934, he joined the Official Assignee’s chambers as a clerk. With the ending of the war, he registered for admission to London University in 1946; thereupon he joined Gray’s Inn. In 1949, he was the first Indian to be appointed Magistrate. Six years later, in 1955, he was called to the English Bar. In 1963, he was appointed Supreme Court Judge, where he served for 17 years. Singh retired in November 1980.
He passed away on 31st March 2009, aged 98.
- Thirugnana Sampanthar SINNATHURAY (T S Sinnathuray) (listen)
Interviewed by David Lee
Born on 2 September 1930, Mr Thirugnana Sampanthar Sinnathuray received his secondary education at Raffles Institution. He read law at University College, London and was called to the English Bar in 1954. On his admission to the Singapore Bar in 1955, he practised as an assistant in Oehlers & Choa. He joined Government service in 1956 and held various positions as District Judge, Deputy Registrar and Sheriff of Singapore, Crown Counsel and Deputy Public Prosecutor, Senior Crown Counsel and Registrar of the Supreme Court. He was appointed a High Court Judge from 1978 to 1997. For many years, he also served as President of the Singapore Cricket Club. Following his retirement from the Bench, he pursued his interest in numismatics, becoming the chairman and chief executive officer of Mavin International Pte. Ltd., an auction company specialising in rare coins and banknotes. Sinnathuray was conferred the Public Service Star in 1997.
- WEE Chong Jin* (listen)
Interviewed by Elizabeth Eber-Chan
Born in Georgetown, Penang, on 28 September 1917, Wee Chong Jin read law at St John’s College, Cambridge, and graduated in June 1938. He was awarded a McMahon Law Studentship and was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in November 1938. He returned to Penang and was admitted as an advocate & solicitor in 1940. He joined Allen & Gledhill and later moved on to Walters & Co. In August 1957, he was appointed Puisne Judge, and later Chief Justice of Singapore in 1963 until his retirement. Wee retired on 27 September 1990, aged 72. He passed away on 5 June 2005, aged 88.
- YONG Pung How
Interviewed by Thian Yee Sze, Foo Kim Leng and Serene Wee
Born in Kuala Lumpur on 11 April 1926, Yong Pung How read law at Downing College, Cambridge University and was called to the English Bar at Inner Temple in 1952. He returned to Malaya and practised law as a partner at his father’s law firm, Shook Lin & Bok. In 1953, he was appointed by the Singapore Government as arbitrator to resolve a dispute between the Government and a union. The union was represented by a young lawyer, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who would go on to become Singapore’s Prime Minister in 1959.
Yong was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1964. In 1969, he migrated to Singapore with his family and in1971, he switched from law to finance and formed Singapore International Merchant Bankers Limited (SIMBL) and the Malaysian International Merchant Bankers (MIMB) in Malaysia, serving as Chairman and Managing Director of both companies.
He joined Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) in 1976 ending up as its Chairman and Chief Executive. In 1982, he was seconded by the Singapore government to form and head the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). He was Chairman of Malaysia-Singapore Airlines between 1964 and 1969, and Deputy Chairman of Maybank between 1966 and 1972. He also served on the Securities Industry Council from 1972 to 1981; the Board of Commissioners of Currency from 1982 to 1989; and was Chairman of Singapore Broadcasting Corporation from 1985 to 1989. On 28 September 1990, Yong was appointed Chief Justice, replacing Wee Chong Jin.
He was credited with introducing sweeping reforms in the legal service, enhancing the quality and efficiency of Singapore's judicial process and making the Singapore judiciary world-class. He was conferred the Distinguished Service Order in 1989 and the Order of Temasek (First Class) in 1999 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the judicial system in Singapore. He was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law in 2001 and another honorary Doctor of Laws by the Singapore Management University (SMU) in recognition of his contribution to Singapore's legal sector. The SMUSchool of Law was renamed the Yong Pung How School of Law from April 2021.
He retired as Chief Justice in April 2006 and was succeeded by Chan Sek Keong. Yong died on 9 January 2020, at age 93.
