Tan Bee Yong is a retired Bruneian Chinese

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT). She has been previously appointed to serve as the non-resident

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

and high commissioner to several nations.

Diplomatic career

Tan joined the MOFAT in 1984. From September 2002 until May 2005, she was the

Asia–Europe Foundation The Asia–Europe Foundation (ASEF) is an intergovernmental non-profit organization, not-for-profit organization located in Singapore. Founded in 1997, it is the only institution of the Asia-Europe Meeting, Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Its purpose ...

(ASEF) Governor for Brunei Darussalam. She was also designated as Brunei Darussalam's non-resident ambassador to Nordic Nations (

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

) from 2003 to 2008. She was appointed deputy

permanent secretary A permanent secretary is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are ...

of MOFAT in 2010 and promoted to permanent secretary in December 2011. Since 2008, she has served as Brunei Darussalam's non-resident high commissioner to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. As of 26 October 2022, she has since been retired.

New Zealand

On 9 April 2008, Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah gave his permission to meet with three of the Sultanate's recently designated envoys to friendly countries. Tan, the high commissioner to New Zealand, was one of the recently appointed envoys. She was cross-accredited from

Bandar Seri Begawan Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) is the capital and largest city of Brunei. It is officially a Municipalities of Brunei, municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei–Muara District, the s ...

to New Zealand. She and other diplomats went to

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

on Wednesday, 6 August 2008, at 11.20 a.m. to present their credentials to

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Anand Satyanand Sir Anand Satyanand (born 22 July 1944) is a New Zealand lawyer, judge, and ombudsman who served as the 19th governor-general of New Zealand from 2006 to 2011. Satyanand was chair of the Commonwealth Foundation for two 2-year terms, ending in ...

. During the 30th anniversary of Brunei Darussalam and New Zealand's diplomatic relations' founding on 10 November 2014, it was celebrated with a reception held by Tan, with

Todd McClay Todd Michael McClay (born 22 November 1968) is a New Zealand politician and former ambassador. He is the Member of Parliament for Rotorua. He was previously an ambassador for the Cook Islands and Niue to the European Union. Early life McClay ...

present as guest of honour.

Personal life

Tan is married to an aristocrat and diplomat,

Lim Jock Seng Lim Jock Seng (; born 22 January 1944) is a Bruneian aristocrat, anthropologist, politician and diplomat who served as first Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Brunei), Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade II. Additionally, he was a member of the Priv ...

Honours and recognitions

Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei The Most Honourable Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei (), also translated as The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Brunei, is an Order (decoration), order of Brunei, Brunei Darussalam. It was established on 1 March 1954 by Sultan Omar Ali ...

Second Class (DPMB; 15 July 2008) – ''Datin Paduka'' * Inspire's The 50 Most Influential Women in Brunei (2014)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tan Bee Yong Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Bruneian women Bruneian women civil servants Bruneian people of Chinese descent Bruneian women diplomats Ambassadors of Brunei to Finland Ambassadors of Brunei to Denmark Ambassadors of Brunei to Norway Ambassadors of Brunei to Sweden High commissioners of Brunei to New Zealand Bruneian women ambassadors