People

President: Russell HENG Hiang Khng, President since the AGM in March 2011, joined TWC2 shortly after it was formed in 2003. He has since held the position of Secretary, Treasurer and Vice-President. He has a PhD in Political Science from the Australian National University and was a researcher at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies until his retirement in 2007. Prior to his academic career, Heng was Features Editor of The Sunday Times in the Singapore Press Holdings group.

Vice-President: Noorashikin Abdul Rahman has been a board member of TWC2 since it was first registered as a society in 2004. At TWC2 she has run projects in diverse areas such as direct services, capacity building, research and advocacy. Currently, she specialises on research and advocacy. Two recent research reports that Noor completed for TWC2 were “Justice Delayed, Justice Denied” and “Made to Work: Attitudes towards granting regular days off to migrant domestic workers”. Noor has a doctorate in Social Sciences and has published several book chapters on migration and migrant domestic workers in Singapore.

Secretary: YEW Kong Leong rejoined TWC2 in 2008. He has been a member of the executive committee since 2009 and the organisation’s secretary since the 2011 AGM. He also oversees the technology needs of TWC2. Leong has a PhD in International Relations from the University of Adelaide and currently teaches at a local university.

Treasurer: Alex AU Waipang has been Treasurer since the 2011 AGM, and also leads the organisation’s communication efforts. Although he has a corporate and marketing background, he is better known in Singapore as a socio-political commentator and human rights activist with a long-running blog. He has contributed several chapters to various books on politics and society, including Impressions of the Goh Chok Tong Years (2009), Management of Success Revisited (2010) and Voting in Change (2011).

Exco member and immediate past president: John GEE has been involved since the inception of TWC2 and President from 2007 to 2011. Professionally a freelance writer, he is now a board member and head of the Research Sub-Committee. Since 2003, he has given particular attention to promoting a weekly day off for domestic workers. He co-authored ‘Dignity Overdue’, an account of TWC2′s forerunner, The Working Committee 2, as well as the 2009 research report, ‘Indonesian Domestic Workers in Singapore’. He has written numerous articles and letters on migrant worker issues and assisted a stream of students and researchers who came to TWC2.

Exco member: Roderick CHIA has been an Exco member since the 2011 AGM. He is an independent researcher with a background in communications, human rights and security studies. Roderick holds a Bachelor of Communications Studies (Journalism) from Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, and obtained his MSc. in International Relations from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Singapore.

Exco member: Debbie FORDYCE, a long-term resident of Singapore and a life-long advocate for the underprivileged, was helping Vietnamese boat refugees confined in camps in Sembawang in the 1980s. Now she devotes almost all her time to TWC2, leading the Cuff Road Food Programme.  Her volunteer work with the meal project has her talking to workers to record their stories, and keeping records of the types of cases and the individual participants, information that supports research and reveals gaps in the system of recruitment and employment. Many of these men, in spite of their desperate situation, have become good friends ready to share their lives and dreams.

Exco member: Shelley THIO has been on the executive committee since 2008, and currently chairs TWC2′s Direct Services Committee. Since 2006, she has been a volunteer case worker, providing advice and assistance to male and female migrant workers. The particularly invisible ones – domestic workers trapped inside homes and fishermen confined to boats – are her special concern. In the course of her work, Shelley has also been advocating for the rights of migrant workers in Singapore.

Exco member: WANG Eng Eng has been a member of TWC2 since 2004. She was secretary from 2008-2010 and an exco member since 2004. Eng Eng has been involved in various print and media activities of TWC2 including the Cuff Road Project and other publicity posters. A media producer by day, she has also made a film on the plight of homeless migrant workers, Lights Out,  in 2009. Eng Eng graduated with a BA from the National University of Singapore.

Audit Committee chair: John HAMALIAN has worked in Global 100 companies in the automotive and IT industries for more than 25 years, with assignments based in the USA, China, Korea and Singapore. Currently as Dell Asia Regional Lead of Business Excellence, John endeavors to be a responsible global citizen, with a focus on Asia. Having visited a total of (45) countries – including the entire Far East – John is a published writer and photographer in the areas of international travel and global commentary. He is a supporter of several non-profit organizations, including serving as Chairman of the Audit Committee of TWC2, and is the leader for Dell Singapore’s Community Outreach team.

Audit Committee member: Christopher PEH is our newest addition as an office-bearer, elected to the Audit Committee at the AGM of March 2011.  He is also a member of TWC2′s Communications Sub-Committee.  Christopher was active in grassroots activities and had been involved in community work since 2005, where he held different office positions in his constituency’s various grassroots committees, which includes treasury and audit positions.  Throughout his corporate career, Christopher has garnered significant marketing experience with a focus in the Asia Pacific region for commercial and industrial real estate.  He currently heads the Vietnam marketing team for a leading real estate development, investment and capital management company headquartered in Singapore.  Christopher holds a Bachelor of Business & Commerce from Monash University (Australia).

Executive Director: Vacant

Social Worker: Kenneth SOH handles an endless stream of calls from migrant workers with problems large and small. His previous work experience involves working with youth, family, healthcare and cancer patients in the areas of case management and counselling. Kenneth work day is frequently starts at 7.30am in order to be at the Cuff Road Project’s breakfast programme, where he is there is to provide a listening ear and advice to workers who need to understand where they can turn to in government or medical services for help. The greatest satisfaction that he gets from the job is seeing happy workers leaving Singapore.

Administration Officer: Mansura Sajahan single-handedly keeps TWC2′s administrative and book-keeping work in good order through her IT savviness and familiarity with TWC2′s computer-based accounting system. She also takes calls from workers who speak Malay/Indonesian. At times, she manages in Hindi as well. As a mother of four, she successfully juggles her family commitments with the sometimes pressing work at TWC2.