Seng Han Thong ( zh, s=成汉通, p=Chéng Hàntōng; born 22 April 1950) is a Singaporean former politician. A member of the governing

People's Action Party The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...

(PAP), he was a Member of Parliament representing the

Yio Chu Kang Yio Chu Kang is a sub-urban area in the northeast of Singapore, with proximity to the Ang Mo Kio, Lentor, Seletar and Sengkang areas. Deriving its name from the Yio Chu Kang Village, it is still known for lush greenery and low-density housing w ...

ward of

Ang Mo Kio GRC The Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the north eastern region of Singapore. The constituency encompasses the majority of Ang Mo Kio (Teck Ghee, Cheng San-Seletar, porti ...

from 1997 to 2006, and Yio Chu Kang SMC from 2006 to 2011.

Education

Seng attended Tuan Mong High School (now

Ngee Ann Secondary School Ngee Ann Secondary School (NASS) is a co-educational government-aided autonomous secondary school in Tampines, Singapore. Founded in 1994 by the Ngee Ann Kongsi, a Teochew dialect, Teochew clan foundation, Ngee Ann Secondary School is a successor ...

), graduating in 1967. He holds a Master degree in Public Administration and Management from the

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) is an autonomous postgraduate school of the National University of Singapore (NUS), named after the late former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew. History The Lee Kuan Yew School of ...

, National University of Singapore and a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

from the

Henley Business School Henley Business School is a business school which now forms part of the University of Reading. It was formed by merging the previously independent Henley Management College (formerly the Administrative Staff College) with the existing business ...

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June ...

Career

Afterwards, he held various jobs including as a sales representative for a watch company and a certified interpreter in the

judicial system of Singapore The judiciary in Singapore is divided by the Constitution of Singapore into the Supreme Court and its subordinate courts, namely the State Courts and Family Justice Courts. It is led by the Chief Justice, currently Sundaresh Menon. Singapore ...

. In 1974, he began a career in journalism, starting as a reporter for the ''

Nanyang Siang Pau ''Nanyang Siang Pau'' or ''Nanyang Business Daily'' () was founded by philanthropist-entrepreneur Tan Kah Kee on 6 September 1923 in Straits Settlements, currently published in Malaysia. ''Nanyang Siang Pau'' is one of the oldest Chinese-langua ...

'', then moving to the ''

Lianhe Zaobao ''Nanyang Sin-Chew Lianhe Zaobao'' (; literally "Nanyang Sin-Chew Joint Morning Paper"), commonly abbreviated as ''Lianhe Zaobao'' (; literally "Joint Morning Paper"), is the largest Singaporean Chinese-language newspaper with a daily circu ...

'' in 1982. From 1983 to 1984, he attended a management diploma course at the Singapore Institute of Management, while rising through the ranks at his new company. While studying for a

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

between 1990 and 1993 at

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, he became deputy chief editor of the ''Lianhe Zaobao'' in 1992. He became the general manager of

Singapore Press Holdings Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPHL) was an organisation with businesses in property and aged care in Singapore. Since its takeover by Cuscaden Peak in 2022, it has been renamed Cuscaden Peak Investments. Prior to 1 December 2021, SPHL was i ...

' Chinese newspaper division in 1996.

Political career

Seng was first elected to parliament in 1997, representing the

Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency The Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency is a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the north eastern region of Singapore. The constituency encompasses the majority of Ang Mo Kio (Teck Ghee, Cheng San-Seletar, porti ...

; he was returned to his seat in 2001, and then in 2006 was elected to represent the Yio Chu Kang Single Member Constituency. In May 2006, Seng was attacked by a constituent of his, a 74-year-old disgruntled former taxi driver who felt that Seng was not taking any action to help him regain his lost taxi licence. The man later made a public apology to Seng, and the charges were dropped. In January 2009, Seng suffered another attack by one of his constituents; a 70-year-old man set him on fire by pouring paint thinner on his back and then igniting him with a cigarette lighter. The man was believed to be mentally ill. Seng suffered burns to roughly 15 percent of his body, and received treatment at

Singapore General Hospital Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is an academic health science centre and tertiary referral hospital in Singapore. It is located next to the Bukit Merah and Chinatown districts of the Central Region, close to the Outram Community Hospital (OC ...

. He took time off to recover from his injuries, and resumed his duties in July 2009. In 2011, Seng became embroiled in a racism controversy when he posted comments online regarding the transit crisis in Singapore. He said on Blog TV.SG that "I noticed that the PR mentioned that some of the staff, because they are Malays, they are Indians, they can't converse in English well enough". Seng retired from politics after August 2015.

References

External links

Member's Profile
on the site of the Parliament of Singapore {{DEFAULTSORT:Seng, Han Thong 1950 births Alumni of Brunel University London Living people People's Action Party politicians Singaporean people of Teochew descent Singaporean Buddhists Members of the Parliament of Singapore