MRS ELIZABETH CHOY was born in Sabah in 1910 and came to Singapore in 1929 to further her studies. When her mother died two years later, she was left to bring up her six younger siblings on her own. During the Japanese Occupation, she became a canteen operator at a mental hospital with her husband. They secretly helped British internees by passing them food and radios. They were caught by the Japanese and though savagely tortured, never admitted to being British sympathisers. After 200 days of starvation and repeated torture, she was released. Her husband was released after the war ended. Mrs Choy later became the only woman member of the Singapore Legislative Council in 1951 for a five-year term. First published in The Sunday Times, Feb 15, 1998 Previous Moses' start page Chee Beng's start page Nura's start page Leslie's start page Copyright © 1998 Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.