After decades of diplomacy, Singapore’s Tommy Koh still won’t back down

Go Back in browser history Go Back Rappler Homepage Search Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share article Copy URL Copied Profile 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Tommy Koh spent his lifetime shaping the youth, upholding peaceful coexistence, and preserving Singapore’s heritage By Lourence Angelo Marcellana | Published October 30, 2026 Tommy Koh is Singapore’s youngest and oldest ambassador, who entered foreign service in 1968 and served as a permanent representative to the United Nations (UN). Before, other diplomats mistook him for the ambassador’s son. But he used his age to his advantage and asked the seniors to mentor him. And that’s how his career began. For 55 years, Koh has been at the center of Singapore’s peace talks, business meetings, and negotiations with other countries. It’s a daunting task; every decision he makes carries the weight of the nation’s future.

This has been the 88-year-old diplomat’s life. In August, that chapter closed. But his influence on the youth, justice, and national heritage extends beyond his retirement. In the same month, Koh was named one of the 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Award recipients — the fourth in his country to receive the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize. The statesman was recognized for his leadership in international diplomacy and for shaping a new generation of advocates devoted to justice and human dignity around the world. COLLEAGUES. Tommy Koh along with his colleagues at National University of Singapore Tembusu College. Photo courtesy of Tommy Koh/Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation Koh was the founding chairman of the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Centre for International Law in 2009, and the founding rector of NUS Tembusu College in 2011 — one of the four residential colleges in the university that were the…