Wacana Ilmu 1

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 Palestinians, a charitable organization providing medical aid to Palestinians under occupation, and exiles.

This diminutive woman is by no means to be taken lightly. During a five month long siege of two Palestinian camps in Beirut, she managed to bring in food and medical supplies where everyone else had failed, by writing to the late President Hafez Al Assad of Syria and securing his intervention. In 1987, Yasser Arafat awarded her ‘The Star of Palestine’, the highest award for service to the Palestinian people, for her relentless work and courage in speaking up for them.

Her book ‘From Beirut to Jerusalem’, a testimony of her experiences, won rave reviews as she recounts her time spent in Beirut, and her account of the Shabra and Shatila massacres has reduced many readers to tears.

Dr. Ang will be sharing with us her priceless moments and insights and we urge you to not miss this opportunity to listen to this tower of a woman.

Date : Tuesday, 21st June, 2005
Place : Kelab Golf Perkhidmatan Awam (KGPA), Bukit Kiara
Time : 8.30 p.m. – 10.30 p.m.
Speaker : Dr. Ang Swee Chai

Enquiries :
-Siti Jamilah 012 371 8518
-Asnah Ahmad 012 210 0577
-Azra Banu 019 282 4500

*Entrance is by a minimum contribution of RM 20.00
*STUDENTS ONLY RM 10.00