SINGAPORE - For the third time, the People's Action Party's Dr Amy Khor successfully defended Hong Kah North SMC, winning 60.98 per cent of the votes on Friday (July 10) against the Progress Singapore Party's Ms Gigene Wong.

Dr Khor, who is also Senior Minister of State for Health and the Environment and Water Resources, has helmed Hong Kah North since it was carved out as a single-member constituency in the 2011 election.

The 62-year-old, however, has been representing the ward since 2001 when it was part of Hong Kah GRC.

In 2011, she won 70.6 per cent of the votes against the Singapore People's Party's (SPP) Mr Sin Kek Tong.

In 2015, she cemented her position as a heavyweight and was among the top PAP performers after winning 74.8 per cent of the votes against the SPP's Mr Ravi Philemon.

Ms Wong, 54, a political newcomer, had returned to Singapore early this year, after 20 years in China, to contest this general election.

She was the chief executive of Gulf Oil China and the chief financial officer of Foshan Electrical and Lighting, which is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

There are 28,071 registered voters in Hong Kah North SMC this year, down slightly from 28,145 in 2015.