Veteran diplomat and lawyer Professor Tommy Koh will retire from the foreign service at the end of August, following a 55-year career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
Announcing this in a Facebook post on Friday (Aug 7), Prof Koh recounted that he has served under every one of Singapore’s seven post-independence foreign affairs ministers, starting from S. Rajaratnam.
He described the over five decades spent at MFA as “happy years”.
The 88-year-old, who is presently Ambassador-at-Large, was presented with the inaugural lifetime distinguished service award at the ministry’s National Day observance ceremony on Friday.Ā
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said in Facebook post on Friday night that Prof Koh’s legacy extends beyond the milestones he helped achieve.
“Through his intellectual rigour, integrity, generosity of spirit and unwavering commitment to Singapore, he has inspired generations of MFA officers. His example will continue to guide Singaporeās diplomacy for years to come,” the foreign affairs minister wrote.
Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Sim Ann also paid tribute to Prof Koh in a separate Facebook post, saying that he is a stalwart in international law advocacy.
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