‘More than 10 friends have died from drugs’: Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association’s first ambassador
SINGAPORE - When former drug abuser Simon Khung was at a drug rehabilitation centre (DRC) in 2020, he that learnt his four-year-old daughter, Megan, had allegedly been murdered by her mother.
The woman has been charged with Megan’s murder.
Mr Khung was undergoing a three-year rehabilitation at the time, and not being present for his daughter during that period is one of his greatest regrets.
Over the years, he also had several run-ins with the law over his drug use. At the start of his rehabilitation in 2019, he resolved not to relapse again.
Now the businessman and content creator known as simonboy will use the experience of his 20-year journey from drug use to recovery to help others.
Mr Khung was named the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association’s (Sana) first ambassador at a charity gala dinner on June 28.
During his year-long appointment, he will give anti-drug talks in schools, mentor at-risk youths, create social media content featuring recovering former drug abusers, and assist with Sana’s programme planning, said a Sana spokesman.
Said Mr Khung: “Whether I am the ambassador or not, I’ll always support persons in recovery or those going through drug abuse, as I have personally been through it.”
He declined to talk about Megan’s death, saying he was grateful to be given opportunities to leave his old life behind.
As ambassador, he will help Sana tackle the rising problem of young drug addicts.
The latest Central Narcotics Bureau statistics revealed that more than 50 per cent of the new abusers arrested in 2023 were below 30 years old.
Mr Khung himself was 16 when he first took marijuana.
He had left school after taking his N levels. From marijuana, he began trying other illegal substances, becoming addicted to methamphetamine for the next 16 years.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam noted that good progress had been made but the challenge of combating drug use remained a serious one. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
During that time, he was convicted of various drug offences and assault, going to prison three times.
Mr Khung has a 12-year-old son from his first marriage, which ended in divorce in 2012.
He and Megan’s mother divorced in 2017. In 2018, he attempted suicide.
He said: “I never got to plan my life properly, when all of my friends did at 16. I always thought I could wait because I was still young. The worst thing was, I was unknowingly taking my loved ones for granted.”
He said his drug addiction not only ruined his life but had also caused untold misery to his family.
As a young man, he withdrew $8,000 from his mother’s bank account without her knowledge and gambled it away.
In 2013, his father, who had dementia, died of a stroke. One of Mr Khung’s biggest regrets was visiting him only once in the nursing home. Even at the funeral, he was craving drugs and could not mourn his father, he said.
Mr Khung, who has seen more than 10 friends die because of drugs, has spoken widely about his struggles with drug addiction.
He has been a Sana peer leader for two years, and under his social media handle simonboy, spreads anti-drug messages.
He also founded his own clothing brand, “Chance”, and social media agency, Peace Street Productions.
At the gala dinner on June 28, Sana also launched Sana Youth Rise Up (YRU), a youth-led group of volunteers who will help implement Sana’s anti-drug programmes encouraging their peers to steer clear of drugs. They will also contribute to community efforts supporting rehabilitation and reintegration, said Sana’s president, Mrs Gillian Koh Tan.
The dinner’s guest of honour was President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who paid tribute to Sana’s efforts as a key partner in the anti-drug ecosystem in keeping Singapore drug-free.
He noted that good progress had been made but the challenge of combating drug use remained a serious one.
Mr Tharman said: “Addressing drug abuse requires an all-hands-on-deck approach.”
He said parents and teachers can help young people be alert to peer pressures, and know that what might look like a fun experiment with drugs creates great harm, law enforcement to keep Singapore’s streets drug-free, and family members, community volunteers, counsellors and employers to support ex-abusers in their recovery.
“I think your inaugural brand ambassador, Simon Khung is a very good example of the personalities of the people who have the ability to work with Sana and the media to de-stigmatise ex-abusers,” Mr Tharman said.
About $200,000 was raised to implement and develop Sana’s preventive drug education, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for recovering persons and their families.
Ex-drug addict Ms Nur Azlinda Zulkifli, 37, who was at the dinner, has been a peer leader with Sana since November 2022. She had abused drugs for 13 years since she was 12.
She said: “All of your dreams can be crushed in one day once you are involved in drugs.”
As for Mr Khung, he will marry for a third time on July 19, to Ms Chloe Eong, a beauty and health product distributor. The couple met on a dating app in 2021.
He said: “I want to encourage all young people, to not give up. I am able to celebrate sobriety today with my loved ones because of this, and I share similar hopes for you.”
Helplines
Mental well-being
- Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222 (24 hours)
- Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444 (24 hours) /1-767 (24 hours)
- Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
- Silver Ribbon Singapore: 6386-1928
- Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788
- Chat, Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health: 6493-6500/1
- Women’s Helpline: 1800-777-5555 (weekdays, 10am to 6pm)
Counselling
- TOUCHline (Counselling): 1800-377-2252
- TOUCH Care Line (for caregivers): 6804-6555
- Care Corner Counselling Centre: 6353-1180
- Counselling and Care Centre: 6536-6366