Neo Ao Tiew
| Neo Ao Tiew | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 梁后宙 |
| Born | 1884 Nan'an, Fujian, China |
| Died | 1975 (aged 91) |
Neo Ao Tiew (simplified Chinese: 梁后宙; traditional Chinese: 梁後宙; pinyin: Liáng Hòu Zhòu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Niû Hō͘ Tiū; 1884 - 1975), MBE,S.C.H, was a Chinese businessman, philanthropist and sheriff from Nan'an, Fujian. He is best known for developing the Lim Chu Kang area of Singapore. Neo Tiew Road, located in the district of Lim Chu Kang, in the North-Western part of Singapore, is named in his honour.
Neo was born in Nan'an, Fujian, China in 1884. In 1914, Neo, then a young colonel in the Chinese Army, immigrated to Singapore. He built his home in the forests of Singapore and away from the main city. This house, which later became a travelers' inn, was the centre of Thong Hoe village, a village that Neo built up.
Neo Ao Tiew, together with British and Arabic investors, constructed roads, houses and a seaport in the Lim Chu Kang area. He also raised funds and built Lim Chu Kang Road, which was completed in 1929. With these developments, the population of Lim Chu Kang grew to 10,000 people.
Neo played the roles of judge, sheriff and mayor of the village he founded in Lim Chu Kang. As a sheriff, he ran his own vigilante police force that meted out justice in the village. Neo's police force used heavy-handed methods to police the population; for example, they paraded thieves from house to house to publicly shame them. As a result of his policing, the village recorded no crime despite having a relatively large population of 10,000 people.
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