Loke Wan Tho

He was the founder of Cathay Organisation in Singapore and Malaysia, and Motion Picture and General Investments Limited (MP&GI) in Hong Kong.

His early education was in Kuala Lumpur at the Victoria Institution, a school set up by the British for Chinese boys which counted his father as one of its founders.

[citation needed] In February 1942, Loke boarded a ship, the Nora Moller, in order to leave Malaya before the Japanese army could arrive.

He survived his injuries, and, after arriving in Bombay, was introduced to the Indian ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali, who eventually became a lifelong friend and a frequent companion on many major expeditions.

Loke inherited a large fortune of tin mines, plantations and properties from his father, and went on to grow the company which he formed together with his mother in 1935 called Associated Theatres Ltd.

The films became household names in Indochina, Thailand, Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Sarawak, Borneo and of course Singapore and Malaya.

On June 20, 1964, Loke and his wife were killed in the crash of Civil Air Transport Flight B-908, along with his chief executives, leaving Taichung after attending the 11th Asian Film Festival.

Loke Wan Tho memorial, Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong