Ambiga conferred France’s top civilian award

By Debra Chong

September 23, 2011

Barety appends the award to Ambiga’s (left) dress during the conferment ceremony at the French Residence in Kuala Lumpur, September 23, 2011. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — Resplendent in a black-and-gold sari, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan was tonight conferred France’s highest honour, the Chevalier de Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour).

As he pinned the distinctive five-pointed medal on her sari, France’s ambassador to Malaysia, Marc Barety, said the award was to recognise Ambiga’s dedication to human rights and to boost the rule of law in Malaysia.

A small gathering of some 20 close friends and associates of Ambiga’s, which included the who’s who of the legal world, burst into loud cheers amid the popping of champagne corks.

The French award has catapulted the prominent lawyer into an exclusive club of some 20 people that include the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, airline maverick Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Ipoh-born Hollywood actress Datuk Michelle Yeoh, Barety said.

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