MFA PRESS STATEMENT: APPOINTMENT OF SINGAPORE’S HIGH COMMISSIONER TO THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND SINGAPORE’S AMBASSADOR TO THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

Justice (Ret'd) MPH Rubin was called to the Singapore Bar in 1974. He was in private practice and was a partner of a law firm before he was appointed to the Bench of the Supreme Court of Singapore in 1991 as Judicial Commissioner and was made a Judge in 1994. He retired from the Singapore Judiciary in February 2005. Justice (Ret'd) MPH Rubin will assume post on 18 October 2005, and will be our first High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa to be residing in Pretoria.

Mr Lim Thuan Kuan joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1984 and has served in the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta and the Singapore Embassy in Washington. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Headquarters, he was Director of PPA Directorate I, Director of PPA Directorate IV and Director of ASEAN Directorate. Mr Lim will assume post on 4 November 2005.
. . . . .

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
27 SEPTEMBER 2005

BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY

Justice (Ret'd) MPH Rubin was born on 4 February 1940. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree from the University of Singapore in 1966. In the same year, he attained a Post-graduate Certificate in Law from the University of Malaya. He was called to the Singapore Bar in 1974. Since then, he has also been admitted as a Member of the Bars of the State of Brunei Darussalam, the State of Western Australia and the State of Victoria in Australia. In 1987, he was called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple of England and Wales.

After graduating, Justice (Ret'd) MPH Rubin joined the Straits Times Group in Singapore as a Management Executive in its Human Resource and Industrial Relations Department. In 1974, he joined the law firm of David Marshall and became a Partner in 1976. In 1978, the firm was renamed Amarjit Rubin & Partners where he was its Senior Partner. He was appointed to the Bench of the Supreme Court of Singapore in 1991 as a Judicial Commissioner and in 1994, he was made a Judge. He retired from the Singapore Judiciary upon reaching the age of 65 in February 2005.

Justice (Ret'd) MPH Rubin has served on various committees which included Chairman of the Syariah Court Appeal Board (1987 - 1991); Resource Panel member of the Government Parliamentary Committee, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Law (1989 - 1990); Vice-Chairman of the Singapore Academy of Law, Law Revision Committee (1996 - 1997); Publications Committee (2001 - 2005); and Chairman of the Probation Committee (1997 - 2005). He is at present a Fellow of the Singapore Academy of Law and a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators.

Justice (Ret'd) MPH Rubin was, during his university days, an active student leader and sportsman. He represented his university in rugby and tennis.

Justice (Ret'd) MPH Rubin was awarded The Meritorious Service Medal in 2005.

Justice (Ret'd) MPH Rubin is married to Jaya Mohideen. She was Singapore's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium (with concurrent accreditation to the European Commission, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Holy See) from 1989 to 1992. In 1993, she was made a Commandeur of the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands. She is currently Singapore's non-resident Ambassador to the Czech Republic. They have two children.
. . . . .

BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY

Mr Lim Thuan Kuan was Director of ASEAN Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from January 2004 to August 2005.

Mr Lim was born in Singapore on 2 February 1959 and graduated with a Bachelor of Law (Honours) degree from the National University of Singapore in 1984. He obtained a Master of Arts in Area Studies on South East Asia from the School of Oriental & African Studies at the University of London, United Kingdom, in 1997 on a Raffles Scholarship.

Mr Lim joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 1984. He served as First Secretary in the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta from September 1987 to June 1990 and as First Secretary and later Counsellor in the Singapore Embassy in Washington from December 1992 to March 1996. Upon his return to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Headquarters, he served as Deputy Director at the Public Affairs Directorate from April to September 1996. He joined PPA Directorate I in October 1997 and became Senior Deputy Director (Regional Policy). He was concurrently Senior Deputy Director (Indonesia) from 1 December 1998. He was appointed as Director of PPA Directorate IV on 24 January 2000. Mr Lim was appointed as Director of PPA Directorate I from 1 February 2002 to 14 January 2004 and continued to serve as Director of PPA IV concurrently till 30 April 2002.

Mr Lim is married to Ms Patricia Teh. They have a daughter.

. . . . .