Magdalene Teo Chee Siong (Chinese: 张慈祥; pinyin: Zhāng Cíxiáng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tioⁿ Chîr-siông; died 31 July 2021)[1] is a Brunei diplomat of Chinese descent who became the ambassador to China from 2008 to 2018, and high commissioner to Canada from 2005 to 2007. She was also one of the players in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)'s probe into the Senate controversy.[2][3]
Magdalene Teo | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 张慈祥 | |||||||||||
 Datin Magdalene in 2015 | |||||||||||
| Ambassador of Brunei to China | |||||||||||
| In office 3 April 2008 – 2018 | |||||||||||
| Preceded by | Abdul Hamid Jalil | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Abdu'r Rahmani | ||||||||||
| High Commissioner of Brunei to Canada | |||||||||||
| In office 15 March 2005 – 2007 | |||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jocklin Kongpaw | ||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Rakiah Abdul Lamit | ||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||
| Born | Teo Chee Siong 1958–1959 Jinjiang, Fujian, China | ||||||||||
| Died | 31 July 2021 (aged 63) Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei | ||||||||||
| Resting place | Berakas Catholic Cemetery | ||||||||||
| Parent(s) | Zhang Guilin (father) Zhuang Jinzhu (mother) | ||||||||||
| Occupation | Diplomat | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 张慈祥 | ||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 張慈祥 | ||||||||||
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Education
editMagdalene went to a Chinese secondary school before switching to a government institution. After receiving a government grant to study law in the United Kingdom and graduating in 1983, she made the decision to work for the Bruneian government in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs upon her return.[4]
Diplomatic career
editCanada
editOn 15 March 2005, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah agreed to grant audiences and deliver credentials to Magdalene Teo, the newly appointed Brunei high commissioner to Canada, at the Istana Nurul Iman.[5]
In records sworn in an Ottawa Courthouse related with the police investigation of former Senator Mac Harb, one of four senators facing corruption and breach of trust accusations, the RCMP references Magdalene Teo multiple times. None of the affidavit-based concerns raised by the police have been addressed, let alone substantiated, in court. She came in the nation's capital in 1995 and left in 1998, according to a report in Ottawa's Embassy Magazine. In 2005, she returned to Canada as Brunei's high commissioner.[2]
Investigators claim that Harb transferred 99.99 percent of the title to Magdalene Teo just hours after taking out a $177,000 mortgage on his Cobden house in October 2007.[6][7] By November, she had left the position as ambassador and, according to the court filing, was designated as an absentee homeowner on the home's insurance policy.[8] Magdalene Teo has been unable to be reached by the RCMP since her initial harsh email reply to their inquiry. The government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was urged to help find her. Despite her unwillingness to engage alongside Canadian authorities, she took on the role of a Chinese ambassador.[2]
China
editIn 2008, President Hu Jintao acknowledged her credentials. She was selected the "player with the most potential" in a tai chi competition for officials in 2008, according to the China Daily. In another interview, she extolled the virtues of traditional Chinese medicine for her lower back and leg problems. She is in charge of formal visits by Brunei's dignitaries and was one of 52 people awarded honorific title by the Sultan of Brunei in 2012.[2][9]
On 5 September 2014, Datin Magdalene and senior officials from the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources attended the 21st APEC Small and Medium Enterprise Ministerial Meeting in Nanjing.[10] Her and Yahya Bakar visited the CAEXPO Tourism Exhibition on 29 May 2015 in Guilin.[11] After witnessing President Xi Jinping arriving in Brunei on 18 November 2018, Magdalene Teo stated that bilateral relations between the two nations have stood the test of time.[12]
Datin Magdalene stated at a flight launch event in Zhengzhou that the flight launch from the Zhengzhou-Bandar Seri Begawan route by Royal Brunei Airlines was a new sign to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Brunei and China, as well as closing the exchange of the two countries in the trade, investment, tourism, and culture sectors.[13]
Death
editAfter a battle with illness on 31 July 2021, Datin Magdalene passed away at the age of 63.[14][15] Her funeral was held from 2 to 3 August at the Church of Our Lady of Assumption, and she would be laid to rest at Berakas Catholic Cemetery.[16][4]
Honours
editThroughout her career, she has received the following honours;
Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei Second Class (DPMB; 15 July 2012) – Datin Paduka[9]
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References
edit- ^ "胡锦涛接受9国新任或首任驻华大使国书". People's Daily (in Chinese) (2 ed.). 4 April 2008. Archived from the original on 13 March 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d Alex Boutilier; Tonda MacCharles (26 January 2014). "The mystery diplomat at the heart of Mac Harb's case". www.thestar.com. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Ex-senator Mac Harb cleared of mortgage fraud, blames Tory senators for his legal troubles". www.cbc.ca. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ a b "汶莱驻中国前任大使拿汀张慈祥昨日（8月3日）举殡。近200名包括社团领导、亲友、信众参加殡葬弥撒。". www.facebook.com (in Chinese). 4 August 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ CT Hj Mahmod (16 March 2006). "Sultan presents credentials to envoys". sultanate.com. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "The RCMP has unveiled more details about its allegations of mortgage fraud against former Liberal senator Mac Harb". www.ctvnews.ca. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "RCMP probe Harb's expense claims on 'uninhabitable' home". www.theglobeandmail.com. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Top Liberal had no idea embattled senator was claiming living expenses for 'uninhabitable' house". nationalpost.com. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ a b "52 distinguished persons honoured". btarchive.org. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "THE 39TH APEC SME WORKING GROUP MEETING AND THE 21ST APEC SME MINISTERIAL MEETING". mprt.gov.bn. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "MINISTER ATTENDED THE 2015 CHINA-ASEAN EXPO TOURISM EXHIBITION IN GUILIN, CHINA" (PDF). agriculture.gov.bn. 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ 于小明. "Arrival eagerly awaited by local residents". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Penerbangan Hangzhou-Suratthani, Zhengzhou-Seri Begawan Beroperasi". malay.cri.cn. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Han Yin Kong (2 August 2021). "華大使吊唁拿汀張慈祥". weareunited.com.my (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Han Yin Kong (3 August 2021). "中國東盟協會 電唁已故張慈祥家屬". weareunited.com.my (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "张健康律师令胞妹". SinChewBrunei (in Chinese). 1 August 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2024.