Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin has retired after more than 50 years of public service.

Chao, who is the only judge to have served under all four post-independence Chief Justices, will hang up his judicial robe on Sept. 28, which is also his 75th birthday.

Heard City Harvest Church case

As Judge of Appeal, Chao is perhaps best known recently for being one of the three judges who heard the City Harvest Church case in the High Court, which resulted in reduced sentences for Kong Hee and five of his fellow church leaders.

Chao, along with Justice Woo Bih Li, were in favour of reducing the six convicts' sentences, while Justice Chan Seng Onn wasn't.

Long career with significant contributions

Chao has had a long career in various areas. Throughout his career, he has not just contributed to domestic affairs, but also international relations.

And his work has had far-reaching implications for our national interests.

For instance, he was part of the long drawn out negotiations on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) from 1974 to 1982. He was also on the team that fought Singapore’s case in the Pedra Branca dispute in 2007.

One noteworthy incident in Chao's career took place in 1968, when he played a significant role in securing Singapore's long-term water security.

Water security

When Singapore separated from Malaysia, there was a need to keep Singapore's water supply running.

Merely a year after he'd just started his legal career, Chao represented Singapore at a UN Conference on the Law of Treaties in 1968.

During the discussions at the conference, a Malaysian representative had expressed the importance of honouring the water agreement with Singapore, even if political differences arose.

The representative said:

"Some treaties might be so fundamental to the very existence of States that they simply could not be dispensed with, whatever political differences might arise. For example, the new island State of Singapore was dependent on Malaysia for its water supply; the treaty under which Malaysia had to supply a certain quantity of water daily to Singapore could not be terminated or suspended between the two states for any political reason."

Upon hearing this, a sharp Chao reiterated the point to make sure that it was put on UN records.

By capturing this on record, he had astutely made sure that an international authority affirmed Malaysia's commitment to the water agreement.

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Tributes

In light of Chao's retirement, many have penned their tributes to him.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean was among them.

In a Facebook post, he thanked Chao for his "steadfast dedication to protecting our national interests internationally".

Lawyer Dinesh Dhillon recalled his first appearance at the Court of Appeal, and stated that Chao put him at ease:For Chao's numerous contributions, a rare valedictory reference was conducted for him on Sept. 28.

The event is a formal sitting by judges of the Supreme Court to mark special occasions.

Top photo adapted from screengrab of YouTube video