The one at the Members’ Grill

Pics from a dinner held for the High Level Task Force on the Drafting of the ASEAN Charter. It was held at the members’ grill of the Empire Hotel and Country Club. Among the ASEAN senior officials present was HE Prof Tommy Koh (2nd from left in 1st pic), an international lawyer, professor and Ambassador-At-Large for the Government of Singapore. He is Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore and Chairman of the Singapore Institute of Policy Studies.

He was President of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, 1980-1982 and Chairman of the Main Committee of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, 1990-1992, where he presided over the negotiations on Agenda 21. He has also served as Singapore’s ambassador to the United Nations and the United States.

Prof Koh was the first Executive Director of the Asia-Europe Foundation, established in Singapore in 1997 by the countries of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).

I had the honor of being liaison officer for him when he visited Brunei with Mrs Koh many many moons ago. He’s still as down to earth and humble as ever. Amazing man.