“MY hatred towards Dr Thio (Li-ann) and all Christians is so strong that... you are now on my hit list... wait for the day to come. I may not hurt you but someone you love most, that will cause you great pain.”

That is only the printable parts of the death threat that Honorary Secretary Jenica Chua claimed she received.

The typed letter, delivered to the Aware office, contained religious slurs. It was written by a person claiming to be a homosexual who has joined a militant group.

Ms Chua also said that someone wrote to her company recently saying that her involvement in the Aware saga has ruined the company’s reputation.

“Why should this happen to me?” asked Ms Chua.

President Josie Lau received death threats to herself and her family.

Details of which school her children attend have been circulating onthe Internet. “Every day, I worry for my kids. If you are a parent, you will know what I mean,” said a visibly shaken Ms Lau.

“It is now a police case.”

The exco members also revealed that they were logged out of their e-mail accounts by the Aware secretariat, whose manager, Ms Schultz Lee, has since been fired.

Exco member Lois Ng also claimed she has been subject to an online campaign calling for a boycott of her business.

“The person said, ‘This is your lesson for joining Aware’,” said Ms Ng.

“Suddenly, I feel that it is a crime to be a Christian and hold a position in a women's organisation.

“But Singapore is a multi-racial and mutli- religious country. My religion is a private matter.” She questioned the nature of the outburst against the new exco.

“What is happening to our society? Can someone explain...this thing that is so dangerous and irrational?”

Outraged

Said Dr Thio Su Mien, the mother of Nominated Member of Parliament Thio Li-ann, and advisor to the newexco: “I am outraged, absolutely outraged, that when a group of women come together to contribute to society, they receive such ferocious attacks.”

Said Ms Lau: “I said in my past interview that Aware has lost its focus. But I was being very polite.” The gay agenda, she said, seemed to have been the “single objective” of the old Aware.

“We want to bring Aware back to its original, noble objective and address issues like ageism and health care...things which ordinary women care about,” she said.

“All we want to do is to get going with the work. But the old guard has been badgering us.”

This article was first published in The New Paper

See also:
» New Aware Exco Press Conference