MEN WHO SHOT LIM BAN LIM

Band of brothers meets again




Police medal winners in 1976 hold reunion after reading The New Paper report

THE Magnificent 10 had a grand reunion dinner thanks to The New Paper.

The men were called that in 1976 after they received the Police Gallantry Medal for risking their lives in the line of duty.

But after receiving the medals from President Benjamin Sheares that night in May, they parted ways despite promising to meet every year.


It was only when we wrote about how one of them, private investigator Davy Chan, 59, was looking for them did they meet up - 31 years later.

The day the article was published, excited readers contacted fathers, husbands and friends whose faces they recognised as the other medal winners.

Ms Jacqueline, 31, was one such reader. Her father, Mr Chandran Pillai, was a member of the Magnificent 10.

The OCBC employee said: 'At first, it did not occur to me that it was my father. Then, I took a second look and thought, 'Hey, this man looks like my dad.'

'I saw his name and told my boss and colleagues it was my father. I called my mother and told her to tell my father to get a copy of The New Paper and to call his friend.'

Similarly, Madam Fadila Mohammad, recognised her colleague, Mr Anthony Low, one of the medal winners, from the story.

Madam Fadila, 26, who works in administration, subscribes to The New Paper's weekend edition and buys the paper every day.

She said she recognised his picture immediately as he has some old photos at work.

She said: 'His features are still there although he has put on more weight. We are all very proud of him. It's surprising that there was still someone looking for him.'

On Sunday night, seven of the 10 medal winners, along with friends, met at the Thai Village Sharksfin Restaurant at Oasis Building to relive the old days.

The New Paper was there to witness the occasion.

Mr Gilbert Tan, 60, was awarded the medal for shooting dead an armed robber in a jewellery shop in Orchard Road.

Married with two children aged 29 and 27, he said a former colleague had called him up after reading the article.

A security guard in a school, he said: 'When I read the story, memories of the shooting came flooding back to me. I think about it every time I pass the area. It's great to meet up with the rest again after all these years.'

Mr Tan Lee Keng, 65, and MrWilliam Chow, 63, were partners for two years when they shot dead notorious gangster Lim Ban Lim, Singapore's most wanted gunman, in the 1970s. They sat next to each other at the dinner table.

During the evening, they recalled the days when Singapore was like a cowboy town with armed gangsters roaming the streets.

For Mr Pillai, 59, winning the medal was the proudest moment of his career as a police officer. He now works as a supervisor in a security agency.

The father of two daughters and four grandchildren had shot dead an armed robber who had killed a police officer.

He said: 'To be given a medal by the President was really an achievement.'

For Mr Chan, seeing his old friends again put a smile on his face. He said: 'It really brought back all the memories. I could not sleep when I got home as I was too happy thinking about how well the dinner turned out.'

However, there were three who were not there. Mr Ong Boon How died in 1992; Mr Ng Woon Poh could not attend and Mr Choy Ah Kow was uncontactable.

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