Escape from Paradise
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Escape from Paradise: From Third World to First is a 2001 non-fiction book written by John Harding and May Chu Harding[1] set in Singapore, Brunei, Australia, England, and the United States. It documents May’s struggle to divorce her ex-husband, Hin Chew Chung, whom she married in an arranged marriage in Singapore. She encountered difficulties with Singapore's lawyers and judges which made the divorce difficult. Her husband hiring noted Queen's Counsel Alexander Irvine to assist him in the case did not help either.
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[edit] Circulation restrictions and critical reviews
Due to a chapter in the book which unfavourably mentions the former law firm of Helen Yeo, wife of Singapore's former Minister for Transport Yeo Cheow Tong, Escape from Paradise was removed from the shelves of all Singapore book stores and libraries in 2002.[2] [3] [4]
Nevertheless, the book has been reviewed by several publications both inside and outside Singapore. These include The Singapore Women's Weekly,[5] Today,[6] and an arts magazine.[7]
The book has been the top best-seller on Amazon.com among Singaporeans for four consecutive years.[8] Those who have read it include former Singapore Chief Justice Yong Pung How and former Malaysia Minister of Finance Daim Zainuddin.[3] Devan Nair praised it as "...a unique contribution to the appreciation of life in Singapore." Francis Seow said of it: "This book out-Dallas Dallas. No one has written so well of the other side of paradise."
[edit] Role in X10 Wireless Technology's IPO
After Hin Chew Chung's company, X10 Wireless Technology had filed its initial public offering registration with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in 2000, a copy of Escape from Paradise was sent to the SEC on 6 August 2001. In the book, Hin says in a sworn statement, "My passport was impounded for a year by the authorities in Brunei pending investigation into allegations of corruption involving my family company, incorporated in Brunei: Chung Pah Hing (B) Sdn Bhd." Soon after, on 26 September 2001, X10 withdrew its IPO application.[9]
In 2003, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after it lost a US$4.3 million lawsuit, and the authors of Escape from Paradise have speculated that the cancellation of X10's IPO deprived the company of funds that could have paid for the legal costs incurred in the lawsuit.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ May is the great-granddaughter of Aw Boon Par, who with his brother developed the formula for Tiger Balm medicated oil. [1]
- ^ One copy of Escape from Paradise is still in circulation at the National Library but cannot be borrowed, as can be seen from the book's record in the NLB catalogue.
- ^ a b The banning of Escape from Paradise (from book's website). Retrieved on 2006-05-03.
- ^ A Day in the Life of International Libraries: Ambitious Meets Audacious. Library Journal. Retrieved on 2006-05-03.
- ^ "Tiger Lady: Tiger Balm heiress Lee May Chu reveals her family scandal in a scathing autobiography", The Singapore Women's Weekly, October 2002. Retrieved on 2006-05-03.
- ^ "Tiger Balm’s poor old lady", Today (Singapore), 2002-12-02. Retrieved on 2006-05-03.
- ^ Review of Escape from Paradise. Rambles. Retrieved on 2006-05-03.
- ^ Amazon.com purchase circles - Singapore. Retrieved on 2006-05-03.
- ^ The letter that X10 wrote to the SEC withdrawing its IPO application. Retrieved on 2006-05-03..
- ^ Hin Chew (the groom & Mr. X-10). Retrieved on 2006-05-03.
