Foong Choon Hon

Foong Choon Hon (b. 1928, Perak, Malaysia–d. 30 March 2009, Singapore) was a prominent local radio artist, journalist, editor and cultural activist. In his lifetime, Foong conducted several famous interviews significant to Singapore’s history. He also contributed widely as a historical documenter and cultural activist for the Chinese community in Singapore. His landmark works include The Price of Peace (1995) and Eternal Vigilance: The Price of Freedom (1999), both of which were compilations of oral histories regarding the Japanese Occupation.

Foong was a highly respected figure in Singapore. He served for a period as Lee Kuan Yew’s Mandarin tutor and was present as an on-site translator when Lee read out the Separation Agreement on 9 August 1965. Foong also co-edited Singapore’s Road to Nation Building (1967), which was a compilation of Lee’s speeches.

Early life
Foong grew up in the town of Gopeng in Perak, Malaysia. In 1947, he moved to Singapore where he found a job at a glass factory. He was unable to speak proper Mandarin at that time, but his language skills improved after he started watching Mandarin films at the Majestic Theatre.

Broadcasting career
In 1950, Foong joined the Rediffusion radio station as a part-time Mandarin announcer. He later joined Radio Malaya in 1956 as a broadcaster. Foong was given a training scholarship to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in London in 1958. When Radio Malaya ceased operations in 1959, Foong continued working as a broadcaster with Radio Singapura.

In 1963, more than 10 representatives from Singapore’s government were sent to London to take part in important financial discussions regarding merger with the Federation of Malaya. Foong was in London to cover these discussions for eight consecutive days. During this period, Foong also became founding editor-in-chief of the TV and Radio magazine.

In 1964, Foong was given the opportunity to train at the Syracuse Television and Radio Centre in New York on an exchange programme sponsored by the United States State Department. He was the first officer from the Chinese programmes section of Radio Singapura to participate in this project. That same year, Foong also followed a Malaysian goodwill delegation to Africa and reported the diplomatic activities of the delegates to his listeners.

After the separation of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965, Foong continued to work with Radio and Television Singapore (RTS), which was formed through a merger between Radio Singapura and Television Singapura. In 1966, Foong was sent to London to report on the proceedings of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conference.

In 1980, RTS was corporatised to become the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Foong rose through the ranks of the organisation to become controller of the central production unit, a position which he held from 1981 to 1983. In the early 1980s, Foong produced many current affairs and local Mandarin television shows for SBC. These included the Seletar Robbery, Lives of the Aged and the Army Series.

Foong retired in 1984 following a successful career in the broadcasting business. During his time as a broadcaster, Foong interviewed famous personalities that included presidents, prime ministers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners.

Journalism career
Following his retirement from SBC in 1984, Foong joined the Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News as an editor from 1987 to 2002. He later became the senior executive vice-president for marketing at Singapore Press Holdings.

In his career as a journalist and editor, Foong scored many high-profile interviews. In 1990, he had the opportunity to interview Fang Chuang Pi, also known as “The Plen”, who was leader of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) in the 1950s and 1960s. Foong’s interview with Fang was a landmark event as it was the first time that an ex-member of the MCP had openly stated his support for Singapore’s sovereignty. Foong spent a week in Betong, near the Malaysia-Thai border, to conduct the interview. His story won the Story of the Year Award for the Chinese papers in 1992.

Foong won an American Express Journalism Award in 1991 for his series of interviews with former Singapore foreign minister S. Rajaratnam. The interviews covered the former minister’s 50 years of political life, as well as broader political and national issues. These interviews were later compiled into a book titled Dialogues with S. Rajaratnam (1991).

Cultural and historical work
Foong joined the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) as its senior director for cultural and community affairs after he retired from Shin Min Daily News in 1992.

In his time at the SCCCI, Foong compiled a book titled The Price of Peace (1995) in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the end of the Japanese Occupation. The book recorded accounts of anti-Japanese resistance fighters and victims of the Japanese Occupation. The interviewees included members of the elite Force 136, the Singapore Overseas Chinese Volunteer Army and the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA). Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) later turned Foong’s book into a 30-part drama serial.

Foong subsequently compiled and edited another volume of oral history interviews titled Eternal Vigilance: The Price of Freedom in 1999. In both books, Foong carried out several of the interviews himself.

While most of Foong’s work centred on his relationship with the Chinese community, he also worked together with Zainul Abidin Rasheed to set up the Malay Heritage Centre. In 2004, Foong commissioned a bust of the late Zubir Said as a gift to the centre and took great pains to make sure that it was sculpted correctly.

Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Foong played an important role in the restoration and redevelopment of the former Sun Yat Sen Villa into the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall (SYSNMH). In 1996, the SCCCI announced its plans for the refurbishment of the villa. Foong was part of the project and was in charge of redeveloping and restoring the building. He travelled throughout the Malay Peninsula to interview people and collect material for the setting up of the SYSNMH. Foong went on to become the hall’s director from 2000 to 2005.

Death
Foong died in 2009 at the age of 80. He had complained of abdominal pains before he fell into unconsciousness and died on his way to the hospital. Many prominent local politicians paid tribute to him following his death. These included Lee Hsien Loong, George Yeo and Zainul Abidin Rasheed.

Family
At the time of his death, Foong Choon Hon was survived by his wife, son, two daughters, six grand children and one great-grandson.

Wife: Wong Giat Ngoh, Janet Christina.
Daughters: Foong Chen Yue, Theresa and Foong Lien Yue, Esther.
Son: Foong Tit Yue, Paul.



Author
Loh Pei Ying



References
Ang, H.S. (1991). Dialogues with S.Rajaratnam. (Lee, S.G.,Trans.). Singapore: Shin Min Daily News (S) Ltd.
(Call no.: RSING 320.95957 RAJ)

Fong, L. (1990, August 9). The week before separation. The Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Foong, C.H. (1997). The Price of Peace: True Accounts of the Japanese Occupation. (C. Show, Trans.). Singapore: Asiapac Books.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 PRI-[HIS])

Foong, C.H., Thum, J. (2006). Eternal Vigilance: The Price of Freedom. (Yuen, C.C., Trans.). Singapore: Asiapac Books.
(Call no.: RSING q940.5425 ETE-[WAR])

Foong Choon Hon: A life in radio, TV, press and history of S’pore. (2009, April 17). The Straits Times, p. 29. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Highlights of interview. (1990, November 21). The Straits Times, p. 25. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Hoffman, L. (1963, July 6). Singapore is in!. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Hussain, Z. (2009, April 17). Telling stories so that others may remember. The Straits Times, p. 28. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Hussain, Z. (2009, April 2). George Yeo pays tribute to late Chinese media veteran. The Straits Times, p. 26. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Koh, S.T. (1984, May 21). His voice, his fortune. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Late Chinese media veteran supported Malay centre. (2009, April 3). The Straits Times, p. 39. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Leong, W.K. (2009, March 31). Ex-broadcaster and newsman. The Straits Times, p. 26. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

McDaniel, D.O. (1994). Broadcasting in the Malay World. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation.
(Call no.: RSING 302.2340959 MAC)

Oon, C. (2009, April 1). Foong Choon Hon’s death a loss to society: PM. The Straits Times, p. 26. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Singapore radio man off for U.S. study course. (1964, September 25). The Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Tan, D. (1996, July 8). The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall. The Straits Times, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

Untitled. (2009, March 31). The Straits Times, p. 32. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.



The information in this article is valid as at 11 June 2013 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.