March | 2023 |

Written by Khor Jia Wei

The NUS Pro Bono Group (PBG) recently organized its annual flagship event—the NUS Pro Bono Week (PBW). PBW aims to increase recognition about the legal needs of various segments in society to NUS Law students and to inspire the student body to be more involved in volunteering with the various pro-bono groups in the community.

This year, the PBW comprised 3 initiatives: an experiential learning journey to Geylang, a Human Library, and a fundraising night market.

Conducted by Citizen Adventures, the Geylang tour allowed students to learn more about various social issues in Singapore and their legal ramifications. These included overcrowding of migrant workers in residential spaces in Geylang and the legalization of sex workers.

*Students on the Geylang tour conducted by Citizen Adventures*

For the Human Library, our students were privileged to have had the opportunity to speak with esteemed representatives across a wide variety of charitable organizations to learn more about their work in the community and to better understand their individual journeys in the field of pro bono. Some of the library “books” included Mr Gregory Vijayendran SC from Rajah and Tann LLP, Ms Lin Huiyu from the Ministry of Manpower, and Mr Chooi Jing Yen and Mr Chen Yongxin from Eugene Thuraisingam LLP.

*Students speaking to representatives from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)*

*Students speaking to representatives from Eugene Thuraisingam LLP*

*Students speaking to Mr Gregory Vijayendran SC, Chairman Pro Bono SG and Parnter, Rajah and Tann*

To end the week on a high note, students also joined in the PBG Night Market. The Night Market was planned with the aim to raise pro bono awareness as well as raise funds for Singapore NGO and PBG partner, Pro Bono SG.

*Students visiting one of the student run businesses at the Night Market*

NUS PBG would like to express our utmost gratitude to the following organizations and individuals:

Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), Community Justice Centre (CJC), Eugene Thuraisingam LLP, Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (FAST), Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC), Jamiyah Singapore, Justice Without Borders (JWB), Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Pro Bono SG, Providence Law Asia, Singapore Association Of Women Lawyers (SAWL), Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO), Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC) for their time and kindness in engaging our students; and
Associate Professor Helena Whalen-Bridge (Faculty Advisor, NUS Pro Bono Group) and Mr Clement Cheong (Manager, Student Affairs, NUS Faculty of Law) for their kind assistance throughout the organisation and preparation process.

Written by Khor Jia Wei

From the 4^th of January 2023 to the 8^th of January 2023, a team of 18 NUS Law students from the NUS Pro Bono Group (PBG) embarked on a 5-day trip to Bangkok for Project Thai-Ed with Love. Started in 2015, the latest iteration of Project Thai-Ed with Love was organised in collaboration with students from the Thammasat University Pro Bono Society (TU PBS).

*Group photo at the Thammasat University Faculty of Law Campus*

The objective of the project was to allow students to develop a global perspective on pro bono, through a comparison between the laws and pro bono cultures of Singapore and Thailand. The main theme of discussion for this iteration was the laws surrounding sex workers in Singapore and Thailand.

Students from both NUS PBG and TU PBS had the privilege to attend a panel discussion with Assistant Professor Mataluk Orungrot (Researcher, Thammasat University Faculty of Law) and Ms Vanessa Ho (Representative, Project X). Project X is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Singapore that provides assistance to members of the sex worker industry. The panel discussion covered a spectrum of topics ranging from the state of the law and enforcement in both countries to the role that governments and NGOs play in the sex work industry. Armed with the newfound perspectives, students from both universities broke into smaller groups to carry out further discussions before reconvening to present about the ideas and views that were generated.

*Breakout discussion amongst NUS PBG and TU PBS students*

In addition, we also had the opportunity to attend a workshop conducted by Amnesty International Thailand. This exposed both NUS PBG and TU PBS students to the views of an international NGO and the activities that they conducted.

*A speaker from Amnesty International Thailand delivering the workshop*

NUS PBG and TU PBS also engaged in a Pro Bono Culture Exchange, where we shared about our respective societies and the various pro bono projects that we organised. In this segment, Former Dean of TU Faculty of Law A/P Munin Pongsapan shared about pro bono culture in Thailand while PBG Faculty Advisor A/P Helena Whalen-Bridge shared learning points on student pro bono and pro bono culture in Singapore. This session allowed both NUS and TU students to learn from each other’s best practices and broaden our horizons as to the possible initiatives that could be kickstarted in our respective societies.

*NUS PBG members sharing about PBG initiatives*

We were also privileged to have had the opportunity to visit the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court of Thailand. Through an introductory lecture into the court systems and the procedures of the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court as one of the four Specialised Courts, we gained a deeper understanding of the Thai judiciary and its legal system.

*Photos at the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court of Thailand (courtesy of the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court of Thailand)*

Above and beyond the law, we were also glad to have made new friends with our counterparts from TU PBS.

The NUS PBG would like to express our immense gratitude to the following individuals:

Mr Pornchai Wangpasertkul (Deputy Chief Justice, Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court), Mr Sakkapan Chitchong (Secretary, Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court), and Mr. Worrawong Atcharawongchai (LLM’08) (Vice Presiding Judge, Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court) for kindly hosting our visit to the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court;
Associate Professor Munin Pongsapan (Former Dean, Thammasat University Faculty of Law) for the gracious hospitality and warm welcome;
Associate Professor Helena Whalen-Bridge (Faculty Advisor, NUS Pro Bono Group) and Mr Clement Cheong (Manager, Student Affairs, NUS Faculty of Law) for their kind assistance throughout the organisation and preparation process, and Associate Professor Helena Whalen-Bridge’s remarks during the pro bono sharing session;
Assistant Professor Mataluk Orungrot (Researcher, Thammasat University Faculty of Law) and Ms Vanessa Ho (Representative, Project X) for their valuable insights and time;
Ms Kitiarsa Rungnapa (Lecturer, Centre for Language Studies, NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) for accompanying us on the trip and always looking out for our well-being.

Month: March 2023

Pro Bono Week 2023

Thai-Ed With Love 2023