Jun 29, 2011 16:59 +08 MFA Press Statement: Appointment of 's High Commissioner to (29 June 2011)

The Government has appointed Mr Ong Keng Yong as Singapore's next High Commissioner to Malaysia. He will assume post in Kuala Lumpur on 18 July 2011.

Mr Ong is currently Ambassador-at-Large at the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Singapore's Non-Resident Ambassador to . Mr Ong is also Director of the Institute of Policy Studies in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Prior to the above appointments, Mr Ong was Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from January 2003 to January 2008. From 1996 to 1998, he was Singapore's High Commissioner to and concurrently Singapore's Ambassador to .

From 1998 to 2002, Mr Ong served as Press Secretary to the Prime Minister and Deputy Secretary (Special Duties) in the Ministry of Information and the Arts. He was the Chief Executive Director of the People's Association from 1999 to 2002.

Mr Ong joined MFA in 1979 and served in the Singapore Embassies in and the United States of America as well as the Singapore High Commission in Malaysia. Mr Ong was the Director of Policy Planning and Analysis Directorate II (North American/European Affairs) in MFA headquarters from 1994 to 1996 and was concurrently the Press Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and MFA Spokesman till February 1995.

Mr Ong was edcated at the Anglo-Chinese School and St Andrew's School. He received an LLB (Honours) from the then University of Singapore in 1979 and a Master of Arts in Arab Studies (with distinction) from Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA, in 1983. Mr Ong was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 1997, the Long Service Medal in 2002 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2008, by the Singapore Government. He also received the Medal of Friendship of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 2007, and the Medal of Sahametrei of the Kingdom of in 2007.

He is married to Irene Lee-Chen Tan.