新闻：新加坡

2006-09-15

　　二战抗日女英雄蔡杨素梅（Elizabeth Choy），因患癌在昨天病逝，享年96岁。

临终前仍斗志顽强

　　她在几星期前无胃口进食，被诊断罹患胰腺癌。在出院一个多星期来，虽然无法进食，她却坚持不注射点滴，也不申诉疼痛，临终前仍然展现顽强斗志。

　　蔡杨素梅昨天下午2时在家中安详过世，留下三名养女和四名外孙。　

　　在日本占领新加坡时期，她因参加抗日活动而被日军囚禁200多天，饱受各种酷刑。战争夺走她的四个亲人。

虽然受尽丧亲之痛，她被释放后仍继续为社会谋福，积极从事慈善与社会福利工作，并成为首位女性亚裔官委立法议员。

　　她的长女蔡慧芳（56岁，审计经理）昨晚受访时说，母亲住院期间，医生屡次劝她进行手术和化疗，但都遭拒绝。

　　蔡慧芳说：“母亲坚持回家和家人度过生命最后的阶段，虽然出院后日渐虚弱，却和以往一样保持乐观、平和的心情。”

　　她说，虽然她和两个妹妹并非母亲所生，但三姐妹从小就在无私的母爱中成长。

　　日军当年以亲英反日的罪名将蔡氏夫妇囚禁起来，怀疑他们在一起爆炸案中给英军传递情报，对他们严刑拷打，施以电刑、灌水，还剥掉她的上衣，把她的丈夫绑来，跪在她身旁看着她受电刑。

　　蔡杨素梅在一次受访时曾说：“我唯一期望的是现代女性再也不会经历战争带来的折磨，与此同时，她们也要尽力去做该做的事，只有她们知道自己有没有尽心尽力。”

　　在新加坡历史上有巨大贡献的蔡杨素梅获奖无数，除登上由新加坡妇女理事会首次设立的“名人榜”外，也获新达城扶轮社颁发保罗哈里斯奖章(Paul Harris Fellow)。

　　蔡杨素梅的病逝，让和她有十年交情的前官委议员张齐娥感到难过与惋惜。

　　张齐娥受访时说，她在1997年出任官委议员时，一天突然接获蔡杨素梅的来信。蔡杨素梅在信中赞扬她为社会奉献的精神，也给她鼓励和提点，让她感动不已。

　　此后，张齐娥每逢春节都送礼给这位她敬仰的贤者，而后者在收礼后也不忘致函道谢。

　　在张齐娥眼中，蔡杨素梅是慈祥的老人，从不倚老卖老。“虽然她曾受日军酷刑，但从不在晚辈面前重提这段往事。她总是笑脸迎人，不吝给晚辈鼓励和指点。”

　　蔡杨素梅生前笃信基督教，亲友们昨晚在圣安德烈教堂为她举行追思会。另两场追思会将在今晚8时和明天下午2时举行。

　　她的遗体在明天下午4时30分举殡到万礼火化场火化。

By Judith Tan BLIND from birth, Ngiam Quek Bee had little hope of an education back in the Singapore of the 1950s. Even when a school for the blind was started, the 15-year-old boy's family was reluctant to let him attend. But the school's founder, a feisty woman called Elizabeth Choy, refused to give up.

EXECEPTIONAL WOMAN: Mr Teo pays his respects to Mrs Choy  during the wake at St Andrew's  Cathedral. It is the first time that St  Andrew's has allowed a wake to be  held on its premises in its  150-year-history. It did so to honour  Mrs Choy's wartime services.  -- JESSICA LIM

'My grandmother was hesitant to let me go,' recalls Mr Ngiam, now a 65-year-old retiree. 'She didn't want the other children to pick on me, but Mrs Choy assured her that she would look after me. 'She kept her promise,' he said yesterday, as he joined about 100 people at St Andrew's Cathedral to pay their last respects to Mrs Choy - teacher, legislator, community leader and war heroine, who died at home on Thursday aged 96 after a short illness. Mr Ron Chandran-Dudley, honorary secretary of the Disabled People's Association, said he would never forget the visits he and Mrs Choy made to kampungs, trying to convince the parents of blind children to send them to school.

'She was so sincere and convincing that many mothers agreed,' recalled Mr Chandran-Dudley, 71.

It is the first time in St Andrew's 150-year history that it has allowed a wake to be held on its premises. It made an exception as Mrs Choy was a war heroine who served both Singapore and Britain during the Japanese Occupation.

Among those who attended were Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, British High Commissioner Alan Collins and local filmmaker Eric Khoo.

Mr Teo said Mrs Choy had always emphasised the importance of education, and also of total defence.

'She was a pillar of strength and a great inspiration to all Singaporeans,' he told reporters. 'She will always be a part of our history and our hearts.'

Mrs Choy and her husband, Mr Choy Khun Heng, were jailed, starved and tortured by Japanese soldiers for helping British prisoners of war during the Japanese Occupation.

Mrs Choy will be cremated at 4.30pm today.