Opposition veteran Chiam See Tong recovering from hip injury

SINGAPORE - Former Potong Pasir MP Chiam See Tong is recovering from a hip injury at a rehabilitation hospital and will be discharged on Monday, said the Singapore People's Party in a Facebook post on Saturday night.

It added that Mr Chiam "thanks all well wishers and looks forward to meeting them at the coffeeshops again, over his favourite cup of kopi-O!" The post drew 260 likes in Facebook over two hours.

Among those who visited the opposition veteran was presidential candidate and former PAP MP Tan Cheng Bock, who posted a photo of himself with Mr Chiam and his wife, Non-Constituency MP Lina Chiam, on his Facebook page on Saturday afternoon.

Dr Tan, 73, told Singapolitics that he visited Mr Chiam, 78, on Thursday after hearing of his injury from a mutual friend. The two veterans, who each served six terms - over 25 years - in Parliament, chatted about the old days when they met.

"We were on opposite sides but respected each other," said Dr Tan on Facebook. "He kept saying I was a better debater than him but I said that was nothing compared to his voice representing the opposition in the House."

He paid tribute to Mr Chiam's determination, recalling the early days when the Chiams campaigned in their iconic Volkswagen Beetle and Mr Chiam's victory in 1984 "against all odds".

The party did not reveal the causes of Mr Chiam's injury or how long he had been in the rehabilitation hospital.

However, Dr Tan said Mr Chiam had been sitting up in bed and could walk with assistance.

"His speech was audible and measured...his thoughts were clear," he said of Mr Chiam, who suffered from a stroke in 2008.

In fact, said Dr Tan, he noticed a "great improvement" in Mr Chiam since the two last met during the presidential election in 2011. "I could sense that he still has a lot of fire in him despite his physical condition," he added.

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Full statement from SPP: 

"Mr Chiam See Tong is recovering from a hip injury at a rehabilitation hospital, and will be discharged this coming Monday. Among the many well wishers who came to visit him was Dr Tan Cheng Bock.

"The 2 former MPs had a good chat, catching up on the old days. They also talked about the aspirations of young people for Singapore’s future, and what can be done going forward.

"Mr Chiam thanks all well wishers and looks forward to meeting them at the coffeeshops again, over his favourite cup of kopi-O!"