Thio Li-ann
Encyclopedia
Thio Li-ann is a Singapore
an law professor at the National University of Singapore
. She was educated at the University of Oxford
, Harvard Law School
and the University of Cambridge
. In January 2007, she was appointed a Nominated Member of Parliament
(NMP) in Singapore
's 11th Parliament
.
on 10 March 1968. Her mother is Dr. Thio (née Huang) Su Mien, former Dean of the Faculty of Law
of the National University of Singapore
(NUS) and presently Senior Executive Director of TSMP Law Corporation; her brother, Thio Shen Yi, is Joint Managing Director of the same law firm.
Thio was educated at the Singapore Chinese Girls' School
(1975–1984) and Hwa Chong Junior College
(1984–1986), at the latter on a Humanities Award from the Ministry of Education
. She took a Bachelor of Arts
(B.A. (Hons.)) in Jurisprudence
at Keble College, Oxford
between 1987 and 1990. At Oxford she was awarded the Law Moderations Book Prize (Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and
Roman Law) in 1988. She was called to the Bar as a barrister
at Gray's Inn
in 1991.
on a National University of Singapore Overseas Graduate Scholarship, and obtained a Master of Laws
(LL.M.) in 1993. She returned to NUS, where in 1997 she was appointed an Assistant Professor. Between 1997 and 2000 she carried out Ph.D.
research at the University of Cambridge
on another NUS Overseas Graduate Scholarship, and was duly conferred this degree in 2000. Her Ph.D. dissertation, entitled Managing Babel: The International Legal Protection of Minorities in the Twentieth Century, was subsequently published by Martinus Nijhoff
Publishers in 2005. In June 2000 she was appointed an Associate Professor, and achieved the rank of full Professor in July 2006. Her research interests are the following:
Thio was Young Asian Scholar at the Melbourne University Law School
in 1997, was ranked as an NUS Excellent Teacher in 2001–2002 and 2002–2003, and was given a Young Researcher Award by NUS in 2004. In March 2006, she was a Visiting Lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong, where she was one of the academics teaching a course on "National Protection of Human Rights". In September of that year she returned to the University of Melbourne
as a Senior Fellow of its Graduate Law Programme to teach a course entitled "Constitutionalism in Asian Societies".
Thio served as Chief Editor of the Singapore Journal of International & Comparative Law between 2000 and 2003, and since 2005 has been General Editor of the Asian Yearbook of International Law. She is also on the editorial or advisory boards of the Singapore Yearbook of International Law, the New Zealand Yearbook of International Law (since 2003) and Human Rights & International Legal Discourse (since 2006), and is Corresponding Editor (Singapore) for Blaustein & Flanz's Constitutions of the Countries of the World (since 2001) and the International Journal of Constitutional Law (since 2001). Since 2001 she has also been a contributor on constitutional and administrative law to the Singapore Academy of Law Annual Review of Singapore Cases.
Thio appeared as an expert witness before the Federal Court of Australia
in the extradition
of Michael McCrea to Singapore to stand trial for murder (2003), and as a consultant to a delegation of the House of Representatives of Japan
(30 September 2002) and to the University of Warwick
on academic freedom issues (2005).
of the 11th Session of the Parliament of Singapore
for a two-and-a-half-year term.
In October 2007, the Parliament of Singapore
reviewed the Penal Code
. In the course of doing so, it decided not to repeal section 377A of the Code and thus continued to criminalise sexual activity between males. In the course of the debate in Parliament, Thio gave a speech to support the continued criminalisation of sexual activity between males, and likened gay sex to "shoving a straw up your nose to drink." She claimed to have support from a majority of Singaporeans, and stated she spoke "at the risk of being burned at the stake by militant activists." At the same time, Thio mentioned the existence of an active gay agenda that seeks to lobby the government and radically change sexual norms. It was later noted by Janadas Devan that the speech was heavily laced with phrases and imagery from the Dominionist movement.
The Internet subsequently saw a flood of websites heavily rebutting Thio's speech, most of which focused on her lurid straw-up-the-nose analogy. Efforts were even taken by some to rebut the pointers she raised, such as the SingaporePeasants blog-site. Thio was also criticised by local journalist Janadas Devan in a feature article in The Straits Times on 27 October, titled "377A debate and the rewriting of pluralism". Another Straits Times writer, Chua Mui Hoong, also wrote an article titled "Rules of Engagement for God and Politics" on 16 November 2007. In it, Chua acknowledged Thio's position in her speech that secularism could challenge religion. However, Chua disagreed that religion has been antagonised in Singapore, and encouraged that specific explanation be given as to how the repeal of a law would in reality harm the Singaporean society.
Thio's speech also drew the criticism of Michael Kirby, then a judge of the High Court of Australia
, who referenced it in a speech he delivered in Brisbane
on 16 November 2007. The content of his speech was subsequently published in The Sydney Morning Herald
on 19 November 2007.
During the debate, Thio revealed that playwright Alfian Sa'at
had sent her a short email saying, among other things, that "I hope I outlive you long enough to see the repeal of 377A and on that day I will piss on your grave." Sa'at later took responsibility for the email, saying it was sent in a moment of folly in response to the rumour that Thio had called the police to complain about a "Pink Picnic" some members of the gay community were organising in the Botanic Gardens
. Thio later denied the allegation, and Sa'at apologised. Subsequently, in November 2007, Thio was alerted by the media to an anonymous threatening letter addressed to her stating: "We know where you work, we'll send people there to hunt you down". Thio made a police report the same day.
At the same time, an alleged email also surfaced during the course of discussion, in which Senior Pastor Derek Hong of Church of Our Saviour, Singapore
, supposedly encouraged acquaintances to lobby the government to decide against repealing the code. The email contains a suggested format of writing, which could be found repeated heavily in actual letters to The Straits Times and reach.gov.sg, the Singaporean government online feedback website. The content of the alleged email is strongly similar to an earlier one sent in 2003 by Cornerstone Community Church
. Neither Hong nor his church has issued any statement on this matter.
in the fall of 2009 until she withdrew her acceptance in July 2009. Her appointment prompted many to call for condemnation of her "anti-gay hate speech" before Parliament. The University's gay and lesbian law student group, NYU OUTLaw, released a statement calling for the condemnation.
NYU Law School's Dean Richard Revesz issued a memorandum stating "the Law School categorically rejects the point of view expressed in Professor Thio's speech, as evidenced by our early and longstanding commitment to end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation." Students at NYU Law School have issued statements as well.
Thio then sent an 18-point defense memo to the entire NYU Law faculty. On 22 July 2009, she informed the school of her withdrawal from the appointment, citing hostility by its community towards her views and low enrollment. It was reported that only 9 students applied for her course on Human Rights and 5 for her another course on Constitutionalism.
Goh Chok Tong
in which he mentioned that the Civil Service
would not discriminate against employing homosexual individuals. On 9 February 2006, Dr Thio Su Mien also wrote another letter to The Straits Times which, amongst other things, stated her belief that the American Psychiatric Association
had ceased to regard homosexuality as a mental disorder due to "pressure tactics from homosexual activists — including riots and disruptions of APA meetings".
Thio, however, has not refrained from openly declaring her religious beliefs. In an interview with the local daily The Straits Times
on 2 November 2007, Thio shared her personal story of how she converted from a "very, very arrogant" atheist to a Christian in 1987. Having entered Oxford University to read jurisprudence, she attended a Christian Union talk then and claimed to be "stopped" by a voice.
"I basically had a sense that God was talking to me. I had stood up to walk out and I heard someone say, 'Stop'. And no one was around me. Everybody was busy doing their own thing. I was one of only one or two Chinese girls in this whole room of ang mohs. And then I just had the sense that I had encountered God, that he knew my name and I was shocked." Thio was quoted as saying in the interview.
In the same interview, she also stated firmly that she is a Christian, belonging to an independent, non-denominational
church, Church of Our Saviour, the east of Singapore. She added, "'I don't know what right wing is. This is funny because I was always considered a political leftie and now I'm a rightie."
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an law professor at the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore Faculty of Law
The National University of Singapore, Faculty of Law is the older of Singapore's two law schools. The Faculty was initially established as the Department of Law in the then University of Malaya in 1956, with the first batch of students matriculating in the following year...
. She was educated at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. In January 2007, she was appointed a Nominated Member of Parliament
Nominated Member of Parliament
A Nominated Member of Parliament is a Member of the Parliament of Singapore who is appointed instead of being elected into office by the people, and who does not belong to any political party or represent any constituency. There are currently nine NMPs in Parliament...
(NMP) in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's 11th Parliament
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
.
Early life and education
Thio Li-ann was born in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
on 10 March 1968. Her mother is Dr. Thio (née Huang) Su Mien, former Dean of the Faculty of Law
National University of Singapore Faculty of Law
The National University of Singapore, Faculty of Law is the older of Singapore's two law schools. The Faculty was initially established as the Department of Law in the then University of Malaya in 1956, with the first batch of students matriculating in the following year...
of the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
(NUS) and presently Senior Executive Director of TSMP Law Corporation; her brother, Thio Shen Yi, is Joint Managing Director of the same law firm.
Thio was educated at the Singapore Chinese Girls' School
Singapore Chinese Girls' School
Singapore Chinese Girls' School is one of the oldest schools in Singapore having been founded in 1899. It is a full school with both primary and secondary divisions, taking in students between the ages of 6 and 16...
(1975–1984) and Hwa Chong Junior College
Hwa Chong Junior College
Hwa Chong Junior College was a junior college in Singapore offering pre-university education. The college was founded in 1974 and merged with The Chinese High School on 1 January 2005 to form Hwa Chong Institution.-Founding:...
(1984–1986), at the latter on a Humanities Award from the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (Singapore)
The Ministry Of Education is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to education in Singapore.-Statutory boards:...
. She took a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(B.A. (Hons.)) in Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
at Keble College, Oxford
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
between 1987 and 1990. At Oxford she was awarded the Law Moderations Book Prize (Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and
Roman Law) in 1988. She was called to the Bar as a barrister
Barristers in England and Wales
Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. -Origin of the profession:The work of senior legal professionals in England and Wales...
at Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1991.
Career as law academic
Thio joined the Faculty of Law of the NUS as a Senior Tutor in 1991, and was appointed Lecturer in 1992. That same year she embarked on postgraduate law studies at Harvard Law SchoolHarvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
on a National University of Singapore Overseas Graduate Scholarship, and obtained a Master of Laws
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
(LL.M.) in 1993. She returned to NUS, where in 1997 she was appointed an Assistant Professor. Between 1997 and 2000 she carried out Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
research at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
on another NUS Overseas Graduate Scholarship, and was duly conferred this degree in 2000. Her Ph.D. dissertation, entitled Managing Babel: The International Legal Protection of Minorities in the Twentieth Century, was subsequently published by Martinus Nijhoff
Martinus Nijhoff
Martinus Nijhoff was a Dutch poet and essayist. He studied literature in Amsterdam and law in Utrecht. His debut was made in 1916 with his volume De wandelaar...
Publishers in 2005. In June 2000 she was appointed an Associate Professor, and achieved the rank of full Professor in July 2006. Her research interests are the following:
- Constitutionalism and human rights in Asia.
- Domestic and comparative perspectives of constitutional law and administrative law.
- International human rights law and the rights of peoples.
- Law and religion.
- Public international law, its history and theory.
Thio was Young Asian Scholar at the Melbourne University Law School
Melbourne University Law School
Melbourne Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of the University of Melbourne, and is one of Australia's oldest law schools. It retains a reputation for high quality teaching and research, with approximately 3500 undergraduate and postgraduate students, and a number of Australia's...
in 1997, was ranked as an NUS Excellent Teacher in 2001–2002 and 2002–2003, and was given a Young Researcher Award by NUS in 2004. In March 2006, she was a Visiting Lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong, where she was one of the academics teaching a course on "National Protection of Human Rights". In September of that year she returned to the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
as a Senior Fellow of its Graduate Law Programme to teach a course entitled "Constitutionalism in Asian Societies".
Thio served as Chief Editor of the Singapore Journal of International & Comparative Law between 2000 and 2003, and since 2005 has been General Editor of the Asian Yearbook of International Law. She is also on the editorial or advisory boards of the Singapore Yearbook of International Law, the New Zealand Yearbook of International Law (since 2003) and Human Rights & International Legal Discourse (since 2006), and is Corresponding Editor (Singapore) for Blaustein & Flanz's Constitutions of the Countries of the World (since 2001) and the International Journal of Constitutional Law (since 2001). Since 2001 she has also been a contributor on constitutional and administrative law to the Singapore Academy of Law Annual Review of Singapore Cases.
Thio appeared as an expert witness before the Federal Court of Australia
Federal Court of Australia
The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law , along with some summary criminal matters. Cases are heard at first instance by single Judges...
in the extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
of Michael McCrea to Singapore to stand trial for murder (2003), and as a consultant to a delegation of the House of Representatives of Japan
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
(30 September 2002) and to the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
on academic freedom issues (2005).
Term as Nominated Member of Parliament
From 18 January 2007, Thio was appointed a Nominated Member of ParliamentNominated Member of Parliament
A Nominated Member of Parliament is a Member of the Parliament of Singapore who is appointed instead of being elected into office by the people, and who does not belong to any political party or represent any constituency. There are currently nine NMPs in Parliament...
of the 11th Session of the Parliament of Singapore
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
for a two-and-a-half-year term.
In October 2007, the Parliament of Singapore
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
reviewed the Penal Code
Penal Code (Singapore)
The Penal Code of Singapore sets out general principles of the criminal law of Singapore, as well as the elements and penalties of common criminal offences such as homicide, theft and cheating...
. In the course of doing so, it decided not to repeal section 377A of the Code and thus continued to criminalise sexual activity between males. In the course of the debate in Parliament, Thio gave a speech to support the continued criminalisation of sexual activity between males, and likened gay sex to "shoving a straw up your nose to drink." She claimed to have support from a majority of Singaporeans, and stated she spoke "at the risk of being burned at the stake by militant activists." At the same time, Thio mentioned the existence of an active gay agenda that seeks to lobby the government and radically change sexual norms. It was later noted by Janadas Devan that the speech was heavily laced with phrases and imagery from the Dominionist movement.
The Internet subsequently saw a flood of websites heavily rebutting Thio's speech, most of which focused on her lurid straw-up-the-nose analogy. Efforts were even taken by some to rebut the pointers she raised, such as the SingaporePeasants blog-site. Thio was also criticised by local journalist Janadas Devan in a feature article in The Straits Times on 27 October, titled "377A debate and the rewriting of pluralism". Another Straits Times writer, Chua Mui Hoong, also wrote an article titled "Rules of Engagement for God and Politics" on 16 November 2007. In it, Chua acknowledged Thio's position in her speech that secularism could challenge religion. However, Chua disagreed that religion has been antagonised in Singapore, and encouraged that specific explanation be given as to how the repeal of a law would in reality harm the Singaporean society.
Thio's speech also drew the criticism of Michael Kirby, then a judge of the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
, who referenced it in a speech he delivered in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
on 16 November 2007. The content of his speech was subsequently published in The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
on 19 November 2007.
During the debate, Thio revealed that playwright Alfian Sa'at
Alfian Sa'at
Alfian bin Sa'at is a Singaporean writer, poet and playwright. He is a Muslim of Minangkabau, Javanese and Hakka descent,. He is known for his provocative works and is often referred to as his country's enfant terrible.-Early life:...
had sent her a short email saying, among other things, that "I hope I outlive you long enough to see the repeal of 377A and on that day I will piss on your grave." Sa'at later took responsibility for the email, saying it was sent in a moment of folly in response to the rumour that Thio had called the police to complain about a "Pink Picnic" some members of the gay community were organising in the Botanic Gardens
Singapore Botanic Gardens
The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a 74-hectare botanical garden in Singapore. It is half the size of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew or around one-fifth the size of Central Park in New York. It is the only botanic garden in the world that opens from 5 a.m...
. Thio later denied the allegation, and Sa'at apologised. Subsequently, in November 2007, Thio was alerted by the media to an anonymous threatening letter addressed to her stating: "We know where you work, we'll send people there to hunt you down". Thio made a police report the same day.
Question regarding support from the majority
Thio's strong position towards retaining the code naturally drew much protest from the Singaporean homosexual population. Two issues were constantly raised, especially on online forums. The first issue was the question of the real existence of a majority against repeal of the code. The second issue was the question of whether a Singaporean against homosexuality on personal or religious grounds would actually equate wanting a code to criminalise homosexuals. Concerns were also raised by a law professor on whether it was realistically possible to enforce such a code, whether it would lead to dangers of entrapment, and whether the informal position of the government not to enforce the code would reverse overnight.At the same time, an alleged email also surfaced during the course of discussion, in which Senior Pastor Derek Hong of Church of Our Saviour, Singapore
Church of Our Saviour, Singapore
Church of Our Saviour is one of the megachurches in Singapore, currently located in a renovated ex-cinema in Queenstown. It began as a mission in the 1950s along Alexandra Road. Since, it has grown from a small congregation consisting of lesser than 80 members to its present worship attendance of...
, supposedly encouraged acquaintances to lobby the government to decide against repealing the code. The email contains a suggested format of writing, which could be found repeated heavily in actual letters to The Straits Times and reach.gov.sg, the Singaporean government online feedback website. The content of the alleged email is strongly similar to an earlier one sent in 2003 by Cornerstone Community Church
Cornerstone Community Church
Cornerstone Community Church is an independent, Pentecostal multi-congregational Church based in Singapore. The church currently has eight services over the weekend, comprising its English, Mandarin, African, Indonesian, Filipino, youth and children congregations...
. Neither Hong nor his church has issued any statement on this matter.
NYU Law School controversy
Thio was to be a visiting human rights professor at New York University School of LawNew York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
in the fall of 2009 until she withdrew her acceptance in July 2009. Her appointment prompted many to call for condemnation of her "anti-gay hate speech" before Parliament. The University's gay and lesbian law student group, NYU OUTLaw, released a statement calling for the condemnation.
NYU Law School's Dean Richard Revesz issued a memorandum stating "the Law School categorically rejects the point of view expressed in Professor Thio's speech, as evidenced by our early and longstanding commitment to end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation." Students at NYU Law School have issued statements as well.
Thio then sent an 18-point defense memo to the entire NYU Law faculty. On 22 July 2009, she informed the school of her withdrawal from the appointment, citing hostility by its community towards her views and low enrollment. It was reported that only 9 students applied for her course on Human Rights and 5 for her another course on Constitutionalism.
Daughter of Thio Su Mien
Thio is the daughter of Dr. (Mrs.) Thio Su Mien, who was formerly the Dean of the Faculty of Law of the National University of Singapore, and is now in private practice. Dr. Thio Su Mien came to the attention of the Singaporean public in 2003 when she sent a letter to The Straits Times stating her strong disagreement with homosexuality. The letter, signed by eight persons, was in response to a speech by the then Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
in which he mentioned that the Civil Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
would not discriminate against employing homosexual individuals. On 9 February 2006, Dr Thio Su Mien also wrote another letter to The Straits Times which, amongst other things, stated her belief that the American Psychiatric Association
American Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
had ceased to regard homosexuality as a mental disorder due to "pressure tactics from homosexual activists — including riots and disruptions of APA meetings".
Religious affiliation
Due to the multi-ethnicity and multi-religion nature of the Singaporean population, open religious affiliation and campaigning by politicians has always been frowned upon by the ruling party. The overall rationale as stated consistently being a precaution not to upset the delicate social balance that would topple the tiny nation.Thio, however, has not refrained from openly declaring her religious beliefs. In an interview with the local daily The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
on 2 November 2007, Thio shared her personal story of how she converted from a "very, very arrogant" atheist to a Christian in 1987. Having entered Oxford University to read jurisprudence, she attended a Christian Union talk then and claimed to be "stopped" by a voice.
"I basically had a sense that God was talking to me. I had stood up to walk out and I heard someone say, 'Stop'. And no one was around me. Everybody was busy doing their own thing. I was one of only one or two Chinese girls in this whole room of ang mohs. And then I just had the sense that I had encountered God, that he knew my name and I was shocked." Thio was quoted as saying in the interview.
In the same interview, she also stated firmly that she is a Christian, belonging to an independent, non-denominational
Non-denominational Christianity
In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...
church, Church of Our Saviour, the east of Singapore. She added, "'I don't know what right wing is. This is funny because I was always considered a political leftie and now I'm a rightie."